


Another Fate

by KeiSense



Series: Connected [2]
Category: the GazettE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Master/Servant, Rough Sex, Vague historical setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:34:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26785225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeiSense/pseuds/KeiSense
Summary: Kai's life becomes much more interesting when he is magically bound to Aoi.
Relationships: Aoi (the GazettE)/Original Female Character(s), Aoi/Kai (the GazettE), Reita/Ruki (the GazettE)
Series: Connected [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1953082
Comments: 40
Kudos: 22





	1. Kai's New Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a short side story to The Connected, telling the same story from Aoi and Kai's point of view, but it grew out of control and is now just as long as the original. If you haven't read part 1, you probably should. It will make some things, especially toward the end, make a lot more sense.
> 
> Warning: there's a lot more sex in this part. It had to happen. Sorry.
> 
> Big thanks to IdiocyxAngst for endless support, encouragement, and reassurances that this doesn't all suck.

Kai was tending to a scrape on a younger boy’s knee when the old man walked into the common room. Kai knew who he was right away – a Magic Man. In a panic, Kai signaled the smaller boy to be quiet and tried to make both of them as small and inconspicuous as possible. No one knew what happened to the children taken by the Magic Men, but there were rumors and none of them were good. Sex slaves, medical experiments, human sacrifices. Kai didn’t know what to believe. All he knew was if someone left with the Magic Men, they were never seen again.

Kai risked a glance up. The old man was speaking quietly to the matron while looking around the room. He was currently looking at a group of boys on the other side of the room.

“Get behind that chair,” he whispered to the younger boy. “Move slowly and don’t make a sound.” The boy nodded and did what he was told. Within moments, he was hidden. Kai looked up to check that they hadn’t drawn any attention. The two adults were still talking, not paying attention to their side of the room. Kai slowly crawled over to a nearby table, intending to hide under it. Before he could get between the table legs, however, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the matron smiling down at him.

“Kai, come with me please.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied timidly. He pulled himself to his feet and followed her over to where the Magic Man was still standing.

As soon as Kai was standing in front of him, the old man began examining the boy, squeezing his arms and legs, looking at his teeth, and lightly thumping on his back and chest.

“Good, good,” the old man muttered, almost to himself. “How old is he?”

“About 13 or 14, we think,” the matron replied.

“Perfect. Absolutely perfect.” He held Kai’s chin so his face tilted up. “Smile,” he commanded and Kai did his best to comply. “Very cute,” the man said, poking the dimple that appeared on Kai’s left cheek. He pulled a money bag from his robe and handed it to the lady. “He’ll do quite nicely.”

“Kai,” the matron addressed him sweetly. “You’re going to be leaving with this man.” She squeezed his shoulder and Kai could swear there were tears in her eyes. “We’ll miss you here. Very much. You just keep being the good boy you always have been. Okay?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kai replied softly. The Magic Man took his hand and began leading him out of the building. Kai looked back and saw the younger boy poking his head out from his hiding spot. Kai gave him a small wave, then turned his attention back to the man in front of him, determined not to cry. They climbed into the man’s carriage, sitting across from each other.

“Sir,” Kai began meekly as soon as they were underway, “what are you going to do with me?”

“Do you know what a Connected is?” Kai shook his head that he didn’t. “Of course not. Most people don’t. You’re being sold as a servant. I’m going to perform a blood ritual that will connect your life to your new master’s. If he feels pain, you will too. If he dies, you’ll die. And if you get too far from him, you’ll experience extreme sadness.” Kai frowned, but the Magic Man gave him a kind smile. “It’s not all bad. The boy who will be your new master is about the same age as you. I haven’t met him yet, but his mother tells me he has a kind streak.” He laughed suddenly and shook his head. “She didn’t seem too happy about it!”

As soon as they arrived at the temple, Kai was handed over to two young men who introduced themselves as apprentices. They took him to a small room where they bathed him, scrubbing every inch of his body thoroughly, and dressed him in a simple white robe. When they were finished, they took him to another room where the Magic Man was waiting for him.

“Now, Kai,” the old man said, kneeling in front of him. “Your new master and his mother will be here soon. They must approve of you before the ritual can be carried out. I cannot stress enough how important it is that you make a good impression.”

“What will happen to me if they don’t want me?”

“I’ll have no use for you. I’ll have to find someone else to take you. I can’t guarantee that person will treat you well. Not as well as I believe this boy will.” Kai nodded and the old man gave him a pat on the shoulder. Not long after, an apprentice announced that the lady and her son had arrived. Kai stood slightly behind the old man, keeping his eyes on the floor and his hands behind his back.

“Hello, my lady,” the Magic Man said jovially as the visitors entered. Kai glanced up through his bangs to see who the man was addressing. The woman was tall, with a serious looking face, and black hair pulled back in a tight bun. Kai decided instantly that he didn’t like the looks of her and lowered his eyes back to the floor.

“Hello again,” the woman said. “Is this the boy?”

“Yes. This is Kai.”

“He’s a bit scrawny, isn’t he?”

“He’ll bulk up once properly fed. Besides, he’s going to be a personal servant, not a farm hand.”

“I suppose,” the woman replied with a disapproving tone. “Well, Aoi. What do you think?”

Kai risked another glance up as the boy who was to be his master stepped forward, and his breath caught in his throat. The boy who had been referred to as Aoi was perhaps the most attractive person Kai had ever seen up close. He had thick black hair, freckles on his tan skin, bright eyes, and full lips. Even though he was young, only in his early teens, it was already obvious that men and women would be fawning over him his whole life. He approached Kai confidently, looking him over with an appraising eye and a small smirk turning up the corner of his mouth.

“What do you think, Kai?” Aoi asked. “Do you want to be my servant?”

“Aoi,” his mother said sternly. “His opinion doesn’t matter.” Aoi looked down at his feet, appropriately ashamed after the scolding.

“Well, boy?” The Magic Man nudged Kai’s shoulder. “He asked you a question.”

Kai nodded and took a deep breath before responding.

“I would very much like the opportunity to serve you to the best of my ability.”

“Then, I would very much like for you to serve me,” Aoi replied with a toothy grin. His mother only waved her hand dismissively.

“Splendid,” the Magic Man exclaimed. “With that settled, we’ll get started. Aoi, this is a blood ritual, so I will need a bit of your blood. Just a few drops from the tip of your finger.”

“I know,” Aoi said, holding out his hand immediately. “My friend Ruki told me all about it when he got his own Connected.” Aoi watched with interest as the old man pricked his finger with an ornate knife, letting a few drops fall into a small bowl, and Kai thought the other boy was exceptionally brave.

“Well, that’s all I need from you,” the old man said. “If you’ll have a seat, this will only take a few minutes. You’re going to feel something strange, Aoi. But it will pass quickly.” He put his hand on Kai’s back and directed him behind a heavy curtain. There were two chairs facing each other, but little else. “Sit there,” he said, pointing to one of the chairs. Kai sat down and the old man sat across from him. “You already know the rules of being a Connected, so I won’t bother going over them again. Additionally, you will be expected, though in no way magically compelled, to follow any order your master gives you. And you will always refer to him as Master. Unless he sets you free, which I will explain to him when we’re done here, you will never call him anything other than Master. Even if he orders you to. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Kai replied.

“At least you already have the proper manner of a servant.” The Magic Man dipped a finger into the bowl containing Aoi’s blood and began using it to draw on Kai’s forehead, muttering words the boy couldn’t understand. As he did so, a bright light seemed to grow behind Kai’s eyes and he felt a strange sensation in his chest, as if something was pulling on his heart. The light grew brighter and his whole body felt like it was vibrating, though he knew it wasn’t. Then, the muttering stopped, the light vanished, and all of the strange sensations in Kai’s body were suddenly gone. “All done,” the old man said with a smile. “Your clothes are in the corner. Go ahead and get ready while I go talk to your new master.”

He slipped back to the other side of the curtain and Kai could hear him talking with Aoi and his mother. Kai quickly got dressed, checking a small mirror on the wall to make sure he was presentable. To his surprise, there was no trace of blood on his forehead, even though he knew it hadn’t been wiped off. He stepped out from behind the curtain and was greeted by Aoi, who was smiling widely. His mother, on the other hand, looked at Kai’s clothing with distaste.

“Come on, Aoi,” she said, turning sharply and walking away at a quick pace. “We’ll have to buy him a few more outfits. We’ll be late for dinner if we don’t go now.”

“We’re having dinner at my friend Ruki’s house,” Aoi told Kai as he walked beside him. “I can’t wait for you to meet him!”

* * *

“When you are speaking to me, you will refer to me as My Lady. When you are speaking of me to others, you will refer to me as The Great Lady.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“When you are speaking to my husband, you will refer to him as My Lord. When you are speaking of him to others, you will refer to him as The Lord of the Manor.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“As for Aoi, he will always be called Young Lord or The Young Lord.”

“I’m sorry, My Lady. I cannot call him that.” The Great Lady stopped in her tracks so quickly that Kai almost ran into her.

“What did you just say to me, boy?”

“I’m sorry, My Lady,” Kai replied, bowing his head. “The Magic Man said I may only call him Master. Never anything else.”

“I suppose that’s acceptable,” she said, though she still gave him a disapproving look. She resumed walking down the hall at her fast pace, Kai struggling to keep up. “The servants’ quarters are through there. There is a room for men and a room for women. You will never enter the women’s room. And you will not leave the men’s room at night unless directly ordered to do so.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“You will speak to no one outside of our household unless asked a question. If that happens, you will give a concise, polite answer. Aoi tells me you already formed a friendship with Ruki and his servant at dinner this evening. You will be seeing a lot of them, so they can be an exception to that rule.”

“Thank you, My Lady.”

“You will always wear gloves unless you are eating or sleeping. I don’t want your grubby hands getting my home dirty.”

“Yes, My Lady,” Kai replied, flexing his hands in the small black gloves he’d been given.

“Since you are Aoi’s personal servant, your priority will always be him. If he has no use for you, you will offer assistance to the other servants. If you are awake, you will be useful.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“And one final thing,” she said, turning toward Kai and glaring down at him. “If my husband or I give you an order that contradicts an order Aoi has given you, or that goes against his wishes, you will do as we say, not him. You may be his servant, but we are the masters of this household. Is that understood?”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“Good. Go find Aoi and see if he has anything for you to do before you go to bed.”

“Thank you, My Lady.” Kai bowed and scampered off quickly. He found Aoi waiting for him by the staircase in the main hall.

“She didn’t scare you too bad, did she?” Kai shook his head and Aoi patted him on the back. “Like I told you earlier, she’s an evil old witch. But you get used to it.” Kai suppressed a laugh as Aoi lead him up the stairs. The house was even bigger than the one Ruki lived in, and Kai couldn’t believe only one family lived there.

“Is it really just the three of you living here?”

“Yes. Well, and all of the servants. My sister used to live with us, but now she lives with her husband far north of here.” As soon as they reached Aoi’s room, he flopped face-first onto the bed. “What an exhausting day. I don’t even want to move.” Kai was looking around the room in awe when Aoi turned over. “I’m sorry. I forgot you wouldn’t be used to being in a room like this.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Kai said, quickly composing himself. “Is there anything you need me to do, Master?”

“Yes, Kai. I need you to relax.” He patted a spot on the bed next to him. “Come on. Sit down.” Kai took the seat offered him, bouncing a bit as he marveled at how soft the bed was. Aoi only laughed. “I wish I could get you a bed like this. I tried to get you a room near mine, but she wouldn’t go for it. I’ve never been in the servants’ quarters, but I’ve never heard any complaints.” Aoi sighed deeply. “Look, Kai. I told you I want us to be friends, and that you can be yourself around me. That absolutely holds true… when we’re alone. My mother would never allow it if she knew. And my father and the other servants will definitely tell her if they see or hear anything she wouldn’t approve of. She beats servants who break the rules. I’m not saying this to scare you. I just want you to be aware… to know we have to be careful.”

Kai nodded solemnly while he thought about what Aoi said. After a while, he turned toward Aoi with a smile.

“I understand, and I see the need for us to be careful. But I do want to be friends with you, so I think we should risk it.” He scowled and looked down at his gloved hands. “Did the Magic Man explain the rules to you?”

“Yes, briefly. He said you would feel my pain. I’ll try not to get hurt too often. And you’ll die if I die. I’ll try not to do that, too,” Aoi said with a chuckle.

“And the sadness? I understand it’s supposed to keep me from running away. But he wasn’t very clear about how far was too far. And at dinner, Reita said Ruki makes sure they’re always together.”

“Well, I can do that, too,” Aoi said with a bright smile. “That won’t be a problem at all. Though, maybe we can experiment.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we could try getting further and further away and see how far away we have to get from one another before you feel anything. That way, we’ll know for sure what the limit is.”

“That might be a good idea,” Kai replied, though he wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the idea. He was about to say something else when they heard the handle on the door squeak as it was turned, and Aoi immediately pushed Kai to stand up.

“How are things in here?” Aoi’s father asked as he entered the room.

“Fine,” Aoi replied in an almost bored tone. “I was just explaining to Kai what I’ll be expecting of him.” His father raised an eyebrow skeptically, so Aoi yawned loudly. “I’m very tired now. Kai, you’ll help me prepare for bed, then retire to the servants’ quarters for the night.”

“Yes, Master,” Kai replied enthusiastically. Aoi’s father left the room without another word and the two boys breathed a sigh of relief.

“You’ll have to leave soon,” Aoi said. “If you don’t show up in the servants’ quarters when they expect you to, one of them will come looking for you.”

“Do you want me to help you prepare for bed?”

“I don’t actually need help with that,” Aoi replied with a laugh. “I guess you might as well, though. Get out my night clothes. They’re in the top drawer of that dresser.”

Kai did as he was told, rummaging through the drawer until he found what he thought looked like night clothes. When he turned back around, Aoi had stripped naked. Kai lowered his eyes as a blush spread across his face and held out the garments for Aoi to take. Once he was fully dressed again, Aoi sat on his bed and held out a brush.

“Brush my hair for me?” Kai sat behind Aoi and took the brush, gently running it through his black strands, wishing he wasn’t wearing the gloves so he could feel how soft Aoi’s hair was. Aoi closed his eyes and sighed contentedly. “That feels good. It’s been a long time since someone else brushed my hair. We’ll have to make this a regular thing.”

“If that’s your wish, Master.”

“I told you before, you don’t have to call me Master.”

“Yes, I must. The Magic Man said so.”

“What if I order you to call me something else?”

“Nope,” Kai said with a giggle.

“So, you won’t call me Aoi?”

“No.”

“Young Lord?”

“No.”

“Your Majesty?”

“No,” Kai replied, laughing.

“Can you _try_ to call me something else?”

“I don’t think so.” Kai frowned as he continued brushing Aoi’s hair.

“Must be part of the spell.” Aoi was scowling thoughtfully. “That’s enough,” Aoi said after only a minute more, laying a hand on Kai’s to stop him. “You should leave now. I hope you have a good night, Kai.”

“I hope you have a good night as well, Master.” Kai bowed slightly as he left, heading down the stairs and trying to remember his way to where he was supposed to go. He finally found the area where the servants’ quarters were and opened the first door he came to. He realized immediately that he had picked the wrong door. The room was full of women, some sitting on beds, some tending to their hair, and all, to Kai’s horror, in various stages of undress.

“What do we have here?” asked one of the women closest to him.

“I-I’m sorry. I have the wrong room.”

“I don’t know,” one of the other women said with a laugh. “You have an awfully pretty face. If we put a dress on you, maybe a little makeup, you’d fit right in.” Kai began blushing furiously as the women laughed.

“Leave the boy alone,” came a deep voice from behind him. Kai turned and saw a very large, dirty man standing directly behind him. “It’s his first day. We should be nice to him.” The man placed a hand on Kai’s shoulder and lead him out of the room, the sounds of giggles ringing out behind them. “You’re the Young Lord’s new servant, right?”

“Yes. My name’s Kai.”

“I’m Daichi. I’m the gardener.” He lead Kai through another door into the room where the male servants slept, and pointed to a freshly made bed. “That’s where you’ll be sleeping. We all sleep in the same room. I hope you’ll be able to sleep with so much company.”

“I’m used to it. It was the same in the children’s home.” Kai sat on the bed and bounced a bit. It was nowhere near as comfortable as Aoi’s bed, but it was definitely an improvement over what he was accustomed to. There was a small trunk at the foot of the bed and Kai could see that all of the new clothes the Great Lady had bought for him were in there already.

“That’s a blessing, at least,” Daichi said, sitting on a bed nearby and taking off his shoes. “I’m sure you’re pretty tired. Try to get some sleep and I’ll introduce you to everyone tomorrow.” Kai looked around and noticed that none of the other men in the room seemed to be paying him any attention. He nodded to the gardener and tried to make himself comfortable. If this was where he would be spending the rest of his life, he thought resolutely, he needed to make the best of it.

* * *

Kai sat patiently with his back against a tree at the very back of the property until he heard the sound of horse hooves approaching. He stood and Aoi soon came in sight. Kai thought his master looked like the prince in the book he was learning to read, riding up on his horse with the wind blowing through his hair.

“So, how was it?” Aoi asked as he dismounted.

“Fine,” Kai replied. “I didn’t feel a thing.”

“Great! So, now we know we can go to the farthest ends of the grounds and it won’t be too far. As long as we’re both home, you should be fine.” Aoi was beaming and Kai couldn’t help but giggle at his enthusiasm. “Do you want to try a little further? I need to go get some herbs from the medicine man. His shop isn’t far. If you sit at the front gate, it should only be a bit further than what we’ve already tried.” Kai nodded happily in response. Now that they’d been experimenting with how far away they could get from each other, he was much less afraid of what might happen. Aoi climbed gracefully back onto the horse and extended his hand. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride to the gate.”

Kai climbed up onto the horse behind Aoi, wrapping his arms around the other boy’s waist. Riding a horse was still new to him, but he trusted his master would take care of him. The ride was over quickly and Kai jumped off to take a seat by the gate.

“I’ll be back soon,” Aoi said with a smile. He rode the short distance to the medicine man’s shop at a quick pace, and returned home as soon as he’d completed his errand. When he arrived, Kai wasn’t at the gate where he’d left him. A stable boy ran up to him immediately, a worried look on his face.

“Young Lord, there’s something wrong with your new servant.” Aoi dismounted, leaving the stable boy to tend to his horse, and ran into the house. A passing maid saw the panicked look on his face and stopped.

“They took him to the kitchen,” she said. Aoi thanked her and sped to the kitchen. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Kai wiping his eyes and taking deep breaths.

“Kai, are you okay?”

“Master!” Kai jumped up immediately and ran to Aoi, wrapping his arms around him tightly. “Please don’t leave me again.”

“I won’t. I promise.” Aoi stroked Kai’s hair, trying to calm him. Daichi approached with a concerned look.

“I don’t know what happened. I saw him by the gate so I went over to talk to him. One second he was smiling, the next he was weeping.”

“It’s what happens when I get too far from him. We were testing the limits.” He pulled away from Kai so he could look him in the eye. “Do you feel better now?”

“Yes,” Kai said with a shaky breath, wiping fresh tears from his eyes. “I’m sorry, Master. I shouldn’t have made such a scene.”

“Nonsense,” Aoi said softly. “Why don’t you make us both some tea and come up to my room?”

“Yes, Master.” Kai smiled as he got to work preparing the tea, and Aoi was happy he could provide the distraction. He went to his room to wait for Kai and took out the book that they were reading. Kai came in with the tea a few minutes later. They sat together on Aoi’s bed as they sipped from their cups. Aoi could see that Kai’s eyes were still rimmed in red.

“So, Kai, you’ve been here a while now. How are you settling in?”

“I like it very much here, Master,” Kai replied with a big smile. “I get three full meals a day and an actual bed. It’s great!”

“You sure are easy to please,” Aoi laughed. “How about the other servants? Are they treating you well?”

“For the most part. Most of them don’t really pay much attention to me. But Daichi has been very kind. He’s really gone out of his way to help me out.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Well,” he handed Kai the book, “do you want to have a reading lesson now?”

“Absolutely,” Kai said enthusiastically. He opened the book to the page they had left off on. “I remember that this word is ‘prince’. Does the prince have a name, Master?”

“No, I don’t think he does. Sometimes in these books for children, the characters don’t have names.”

“Maybe we can name him after you,” Kai said with a huge grin. “You seem like him.”

“That makes complete sense,” Aoi said in a mock serious tone. Both boys laughed as Kai turned back to the book. “I am, you know. Not a prince. But our family is related to the imperial family. Not closely enough for me to ever inherit the throne, but close enough that I’m an amazing marriage prospect.”

“You don’t sound happy about that.”

“No,” Aoi sighed. “Being me comes with a lot of responsibility. It isn’t always easy. But now I have you to make my life easier.” He gave Kai a toothy grin and they settled into their lesson.


	2. Interesting Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter includes violence, a brief moment of child abuse (it's not really bad, I swear), and references to past child abuse. I'm sorry.
> 
> There's good stuff, too...

Kai sat down to breakfast, looking forward to a slow morning. He had lived as a Connected for almost a year and was pretty set in his routine. He would wake up early, take his time eating breakfast and bathing, then take Aoi’s breakfast to him. He was therefore surprised when the cook set the tray with Aoi’s breakfast in front of him after he had barely started eating his own.

“What’s this? My master won’t be awake for at least another hour.”

“The Great Lady wants him woken up early today,” the cook replied. “She says he has a busy day.”

Kai shrugged, finished off his tea, and headed to Aoi’s room. He tried not to make any noise as he entered the room, having long ago figured out how to turn the doorknob without it squeaking. However, he froze in his tracks when he saw that Aoi was already awake. His eyes were shut, but he was clearly not sleeping. He was biting his lip, his breathing was heavy, and Kai could see movement under his blanket. Kai immediately realized what his master was doing. Before he could react, before he could turn and leave, Aoi’s back arched off the bed and he let out a small moan, then he relaxed back into his pillow. Kai realized he’d been holding his breath and let it out in a rush. Which, unfortunately, made much more noise than he had intended. Aoi’s eyes flew open as he realized he wasn’t alone.

“I…uh…” Kai stuttered as he tried to think of something to say. “Th-the Great Lady wished for you to be woken up early.” He set the tray of food down on the dresser, keeping his eyes on the floor. “I…” He looked up and saw Aoi staring at him with wide eyes. He felt heat rushing to his cheeks and dropped his eyes again. “S-sorry,” he said and practically ran from the room.

He spent the rest of the morning serving his master in silence, doing his best not to meet the other boy’s eyes. He was secretly pleased when he was told Aoi was having a guest over for lunch and he was banned from the dining room.

Kai busied himself helping the other servants with various tasks, happy for the distraction. In the afternoon, he was handed a tray with tea for two people and told to take it into the sitting room. He did so, but he quickly realized for the second time that day that he needed to make more noise when entering rooms. Aoi was in the sitting room, relaxing on a sofa next to a pretty girl. As Kai watched, Aoi wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulders and leaned in to give her a kiss. Kai cleared his throat and the young couple jumped away from each other.

“Excuse me, Master,” Kai mumbled as he approached. Aoi didn’t say anything, nor did he look at Kai as he laid down the tray. “Do you need anything else?”

“No,” Aoi replied shortly, waving his hand dismissively. Kai bowed and quickly left the room. He returned to the kitchen to find something else to do, hoping keeping busy would keep him from thinking about the ache he suddenly felt in his chest.

* * *

As soon as Aoi finished dinner that night, he summoned Kai to draw him a bath. Kai did so in silence, averting his eyes when Aoi stripped and lowered himself into the water. Once Aoi was settled, Kai headed for the door, but he was stopped by his master’s voice.

“Kai. Won’t you stay and talk with me?”

“If that’s your wish, Master,” Kai replied, turning back around.

“It is,” Aoi said, tilting his head. “But you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Kai took a seat on a small stool near the tub. Aoi folded his arms on the rim of the tub and rested his chin on them, looking at Kai with a mischievous gleam in his eye. “You’ve certainly had a busy day.”

Kai couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh.  
  


“I guess you could say that. Aren’t you mad at me?”

“No,” Aoi replied. “I thought it was funny. These things happen.”

“Especially around here,” Kai scoffed. “I should wear a bell around this house.”

“Oh,” Aoi said, raising an eyebrow. “Have you walked in on other interesting things?”

“Well, you know, all of the men sleep in the same room. Not all of them are discreet. Also…”

“What? What is it?”

“I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

“Now I have to know,” Aoi said excitedly. “Come on. I promise I won’t tell.”

“Ok,” Kai said, leaning closer and lowering his voice. “You know Takashi, the footman?” Aoi nodded that he knew who Kai was talking about. “He and Daichi share a bed most nights.”

“Really?” Aoi asked in surprise. Kai nodded with a big grin on his face. “But, Takashi is so… refined. I wouldn’t expect him to want someone as rough and dirty as Daichi.”

“He doesn’t seem to mind. I think they’re in love. They kiss each other a lot and whisper to each other. But they do have sex sometimes, too. Daichi’s bed is close to mine and they often wake me up with their noises.” 

“Do they know you can hear them?”

“Yes,” Kai replied with a laugh. “After the first time I heard them, I didn’t know how to react. So, I was acting kind of weird around them and Daichi figured it out. He apologized for bothering me but also explained that’s just how it works when everyone sleeps in the same room.” Aoi laughed and Kai leaned closer. “That’s not all. The other day, I saw one of the cooks in the garden with a maid.”

“They were having sex in the garden?” Aoi asked in shock.

“No,” Kai said with a small giggle. “She was on her knees and she had… it in her mouth.”

“In her mouth…” Aoi’s eyes got wide, but his expression quickly turned thoughtful. “I suppose that would feel good.”

“He seemed to be enjoying himself,” Kai laughed.

“Would you ever let someone do that to you?” Aoi asked playfully.

“I don’t know.” Kai could feel himself starting to blush and he dropped his gaze to the floor. “I guess, if someone wanted to, I would.”

“I definitely would.” Aoi leaned back in the tub with a grin. “I know exactly who I would want to do it, too. Uruha.”

“Ruki’s butler?”

“Yep. He’s really good looking, don’t you think?” Kai only shrugged in response. “Plus, with those pouty lips, I bet that would feel extra good.”

“I suppose,” Kai mumbled.

“Don’t tell Ruki I have a crush on his butler,” Aoi said with a laugh. “He’d never let me hear the end of it.”

“I won’t.” Aoi grabbed a sponge and started humming happily as he washed himself, but Kai could only frown down at his feet. “What about that girl who was here today?”

“What about her?”

“Wouldn’t you want her to…?”

“No,” Aoi scoffed. “She’s so stupid, she’d probably bite me.”

“If you don’t like her, why was she here?”

“Mother wants me to court her.” Aoi sighed heavily. “I think she wants me to find someone to marry. But all of the girls she would approve of are so… tedious. Plus, she’ll only let me marry a woman, and what if I don’t want to? What if I decide I want to marry a man? She would never accept that. I wish I could just marry someone I like.” He glanced at Kai fondly. “If I could marry you, that would be perfect. It would be great to marry a friend. You’d marry me, right?”

“If that was your wish, Master,” Kai replied quietly.

“Well, I wouldn’t order you to or anything.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Kai squirmed uncomfortably on the stool. “But I don’t think I’ll get married.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not exactly a catch.”

“Sure you are,” Aoi said cheerfully. “You’re kind and funny. And attractive.” He could see Kai’s face turning red and smirked. “I mean, not as attractive as me. But you’re all right.”

“Shut up,” Kai said with a laugh.

“Oi,” Aoi exclaimed in mock disbelief. “Are you telling your master what to do now?” He splashed water at the other boy, who put his hands up in defense, giggling helplessly.

* * *

“You did what?!?”

“I told Natsumi that I just want to be her friend,” Aoi replied, trying to stay calm as his mother glared at him.

“How could you do that? After the work I put in with her parents?”

“I don’t care about that. I – “ Aoi was cut off as his mother slapped him across the face and grabbed him by the wrist.

“You are so ungrateful,” his mother said through clenched teeth, twisting his arm to the point he thought it would break. “How could I have raised such a child? You have to start thinking about your future, Aoi.”

“I’m only 15,” Aoi protested, trying to get away from his mother’s iron grip. His attention was drawn to the door of the sitting room as it was suddenly thrown open.

“Leave him alone,” Kai yelled from the doorway.

“Kai, no,” Aoi whispered.

“What did you say, boy?” His mother’s voice was dripping with malice.

“Please, My Lady,” Kai said in a much more respectful tone. “You’re hurting him.”

“And you think that gives you the right to tell me what to do?” She let go of Aoi’s wrist and approached Kai. “It’s time you were reminded of your place. Follow me. Aoi, you too.” The boys followed her in silence as she marched out of the house and toward the stables. As soon as they entered, she pointed at the nearest wall. “Take your shirt off and put your hands on the wall.”

“Mother, please don’t do this,” Aoi begged.

“I’m not going to do anything.” She grabbed a whip from a hook on the wall and handed it to Aoi. “He’s your servant. You should punish him.”

“No.” Aoi shook his head, tears already forming in his eyes. “No. He was just protecting me. That’s what he’s supposed to do, isn’t it? I won’t punish him for that.”

“You will. Or I’ll whip you both.”

Aoi exchanged a glance with Kai and knew immediately that they were thinking the same thing. If she whipped Aoi as well, Kai would feel his pain in addition to his own. His punishment would be doubled.

“Master, please.” Kai looked at Aoi pleadingly. “Just do it.” He took off his shirt and stood where she had told him to.

“There,” she said with a hint of triumph. “He’s starting to remember his place already. Now, begin.”

“How many?” Aoi asked, taking a deep breath.

“Until I tell you to stop.” Aoi raised the whip and lashed it across Kai’s bare back. Kai’s body reacted to the strike, but he didn’t make a sound. “Harder,” his mother said. “If I don’t see blood, you don’t get to stop.”

Aoi whipped Kai harder and this time he did cry out. Aoi let out a sob at the noise, but continued lashing out with the whip. Kai clenched his teeth, trying not to make any more noise. Finally, after several more strikes, a strip of blood blossomed across Kai’s shoulders. Aoi lowered his arm, panting with tears running down his face.

“I didn’t tell you to stop.”

“But…” Aoi stared at his mother in disbelief. “You said…”

“I said you couldn’t stop if I didn’t see blood. I didn’t say you could stop _when_ I saw blood. Ten more, at the same strength.”

“Mother, please,” Aoi said with a shaking voice.

“Would you rather it be more? How about twenty?” Aoi shook his head and delivered ten more strokes. When he was finished, there were six more lines of blood across Kai’s back. “Very good,” Aoi’s mother said, taking the whip back from him. As soon as Kai heard that, he dropped to his knees, too weak to hold himself up any longer. “Come on, Aoi. We need to have a conversation with your father.” Aoi followed his mother back to the house, leaving Kai alone. He let himself fall down onto the floor on his face and closed his eyes. He didn’t know how long he laid there before a large boot landed near his head and rough hands picked him up as delicately as possible.

“Come on, little boy,” Daichi said, gently putting Kai over his shoulder. “Let’s take care of this mess.”

* * *

Aoi tentatively knocked on the door of the men’s quarters. The servant who answered the door seemed surprised to see him, but immediately moved out of the way to let him in.

“He’s right there,” the servant said, pointing at a bed nearby with a group of men clustered around it. They all looked up as Aoi approached, and one of them jumped up from the stool he was sitting on, offering the seat to Aoi. He took the seat with a nod, trying to keep composed now that he was suddenly confronted with the sight of his friend.

Kai was lying on the bed on his stomach, his eyes closed. The wounds on his back had been cleaned and the bleeding had stopped, and a man sitting on the other side of the bed was gently applying an ointment to them. Now that he was up close, Aoi could see that the wounds were much worse than he originally imagined. He thought he could even see a bit of bone through the gash on his shoulder blade.

“We gave him something,” Daichi said, speaking softly. “He’s not in any pain now, but he is a bit disoriented.” He could see the worried look on Aoi’s face and smiled gently. “Don’t worry. Many of us have had worse. He’ll be fine.” He leaned down close to Kai’s ear and spoke in a soothing voice. “Kai. Kai, look who’s here.”

Kai opened his eyes slowly. When he caught sight of Aoi, a smile spread across his face, his dimple standing out prominently against his pale skin.

“Master,” Kai said weakly. He reached out and took Aoi’s hand in his. “I’m sorry, Master. I shouldn’t have upset her. But she shouldn’t have hurt you. She’s never hurt you like that before.”

“She has,” Aoi replied. “Just not in a long time. Not since before you came to live with us. She only does that when she’s really angry.” He saw that Kai was having trouble keeping his eyes open and hurried to say what he came to say. “I’m sorry I hurt you,” Aoi said, trying not to cry because he didn’t want to upset Kai. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Master.” Kai pulled Aoi’s hand toward his face and placed a small kiss on the tips of two of his fingers. Aoi was surprised by the affectionate gesture, but Kai immediately closed his eyes again and Aoi suddenly felt even more uncomfortable.

“I should go,” he said, clearing his throat. “Thank you for taking such good care of him.” He left without another word and hurried to his room. A few hours later, when his parents returned from the dinner party they’d been attending, his mother came to see him.

“I hear you went to the servants’ quarters this evening.”

“I was just making sure my property wasn’t too badly damaged,” Aoi replied, trying to keep all emotion from his voice.

“Be sure that’s all it is,” his mother responded sharply. “I had a conversation this evening with some friends who have a daughter your age. I’ll invite her to lunch or tea sometime in the next few months.”

“I can’t wait,” Aoi said blandly. His mother left without any further discussion and Aoi went to sleep with visions of Kai’s abused back and pale, smiling face.


	3. The Accident

The sun was just coming up as Kai began his day. He went into the sitting room to find a book he knew Aoi had left in there the night before. The Lord and Lady of the Manor were visiting Aoi’s sister in the north and would be gone for a month, so Aoi was less concerned about not leaving things lying around. But Kai still felt responsible for cleaning up after his master.

As he was retrieving the book, he heard a giggle come from the front hallway. He went to investigate and found Aoi leading his latest girlfriend out the door, making shushing noises as she laughed. Once she reached the door, she turned and gave Aoi a kiss, a big smile on her face. Aoi waved goodbye to her and closed the door, leaning against it and sighing deeply.

“Good morning, Master,” Kai said, making Aoi jump a bit. “When did Sakura get here?”

“Last night,” Aoi replied.

“She spent the night?” Aoi only nodded. “Did you… did you two…” Kai couldn’t bring himself to finish the question, but Aoi nodded again. “But you don’t even like her.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” Aoi said with a chuckle. “This is just expected of me, Kai. You know that.” 

“You’re expected to court them, not sleep with them,” Kai responded.

“Well, sleeping with them is sometimes part of courting them. It’s not like she’s the first.” Aoi laughed a bit, but stopped when Kai only frowned and shook his head. “Is there something wrong?”

“You shouldn’t…” Kai was having difficulty speaking, but he took a deep breath and continued. “You’re supposed to do that with someone you love.”

“That’s kind of a naïve attitude.”

“I guess I’m naïve,” Kai practically spat.

“Why is this bothering you so much?” Aoi asked, concerned but also a bit annoyed.

“For the past couple of years, ever since your mother made you start courting all these girls, you’ve done nothing but complain about them. You don’t like any of them. And yet, you would… Is this the life you want? Having meaningless sex with women you don’t have feelings for? You’re going to end up marrying one of these girls. You would be miserable. And I have to spend the rest of my life with you. It would break my heart to have to see you with someone who makes you unhappy.”

“Kai…”

“I’ll go get your breakfast ready,” Kai said, rushing out of the room. As soon as he entered the kitchen, Kai took a seat, buried his face in his hands, and finally let the tears he’d been holding back flow freely. He jumped when he felt a hand on his arm and looked up to see a young kitchen maid named Misa.

“What happened?” she asked, rubbing his arm soothingly.

“Nothing,” Kai replied, wiping his eyes. “I’m fine.” He stood and caught the cook’s attention. “My master is awake. Let’s get his breakfast together.” The cook nodded and began working. Kai moved to help him, but Misa pulled him aside.

“You don’t want to talk about it?” Kai shook his head with a deep breath. “I could help you feel better,” Misa said flirtatiously. Before Kai could react, she raised up on her toes and kissed him. After a moment of shock, Kai grabbed her by the shoulders and gently, but firmly pushed her away.

“I’m sorry, Misa. You’re nice, and a very pretty girl, but…”

“But I’m not the one you want to kiss,” she finished for him. Kai didn’t reply, but she smiled up at him. “I understand. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” Kai chuckled and they both returned to work.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Aoi had a visit from another young woman his mother had picked out for him. He had broken things off with Sakura after she got angry with him over something he considered insignificant. He hated a girl who lost her temper easily.

This one was named Yui, and she had already joined Aoi in his bedroom. They were kissing and Aoi knew she would let him take things further, which he would normally have no problem with. But Kai’s upset face kept flashing in his mind. He couldn’t get Kai’s words out of his head, admonishing him for sleeping with someone he didn’t love, and he realized he didn’t want to have sex with this girl. He pushed her away with a sigh.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. When Aoi didn’t reply, she laughed and put a hand on his thigh. “Don’t tell me a man with your reputation is going to act coy now.”

“I have a reputation?”

“Of course. Everyone knows you’re a ladies’ man. It’s really just a race to see which of us can catch your interest long enough to get married.” She giggled and moved her hand up his thigh.

“Look, Yui,” Aoi began, moving her hand to her own lap. “I do like you. And I need to tell you something. There’s someone I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. And I want that person to be happy. Because their happiness will make me happy.”

“Oh, Aoi, I’m sure you’ll make me plenty happy.”

“Yui, that person isn’t you.” Aoi braced himself for a slap, but it never came. The girl simply stormed out of his room and, in turn, the house, leaving Aoi alone with his thoughts.

* * *

When Aoi’s parents returned home, he immediately took his mother into the sitting room to have a talk. Most of the servants were in the kitchen for their midday meal. They could clearly hear Aoi and his mother yelling at each other from the kitchen, though they couldn’t make out what they were saying. After a few minutes, Kai felt the familiar sting of a slap against his cheek and Aoi stormed through the kitchen, out the back door. Not long after, Aoi’s father entered the kitchen.

“Where is my son?” he asked Kai.

“I believe he took his horse for a ride, My Lord,” Kai replied. “He hasn’t been gone long.”

“Judging by the volume he and his mother reached, I’m sure he’ll be out for a while. Make me a cup of tea.”

“Yes, My Lord,” Kai said, dutifully getting to work. He had just finished preparing the tea when he felt a severe pain in his right leg and another in his head. He dropped the cup he’d been holding and fell to the floor, screaming.

“What’s wrong with you, boy?” Aoi’s father asked.

“It isn’t me. My master… something happened to my master.” Kai was writhing in pain on the floor. He looked up and saw Aoi’s father, Daichi, and several servants watching him in shock. “He’s somewhere on the grounds. Please, go find him.” No one moved. “What are you waiting for?” Kai shouted. “He needs help!”

“Right,” Aoi’s father said as he suddenly snapped to attention. He pointed at one of the servants. “You, go fetch the medicine man down the road.” The servant ran from the room and he turned to the other servants. “You men come with me. Let’s go find my son.” Kai moved to get up, but couldn’t stand. He watched as the men left the room, clutching his leg with tears running down his face. It was only a few minutes before the medicine man and his assistants showed up, but it felt like hours to Kai.

Not long after the medicine man arrived, the men who went to find Aoi returned. They came through the back door with Aoi on a makeshift stretcher, unconscious. They took him into the sitting room and, as soon as they had him settled, Daichi returned to the kitchen. He helped Kai up and took him into the sitting room, letting him know that the medicine man wanted him in the room while he worked so he could monitor Aoi’s pain level. He set Kai on the floor next to the couch where Aoi was being examined. Aoi’s mother and father were both in the room, staring at Aoi with stunned, pale faces, and Kai easily understood why. There was some blood on Aoi’s head, but the thing that shocked Kai the most was the bone sticking out of his master’s shin.

“He’s lost a lot of blood,” the medicine man said as he took a vial out of his bag. One of his assistants was busy washing the wound where the bone was sticking out. “He isn’t in danger now, but he would have died if he’d been left out there much longer.” He poured some of the contents of the vial down Aoi’s throat. Aoi reflexively coughed a bit, but didn’t wake up. The medicine man didn’t seem worried, instead giving all of his attention to Kai. After a few moments, Kai felt the pain disappear and sighed in relief. The medicine man nodded and he and his assistants got to work tending to Aoi’s leg. Kai couldn’t watch, instead watching Aoi’s face. He wanted to reach for Aoi’s hand, but didn’t dare do so with so many people around. The medicine man worked quickly, but it still took a long time before Aoi’s leg was set, bandaged, and splinted.

“He hasn’t woken up,” Aoi’s mother said, a slight tremble in her voice.

“He will,” the medicine man replied. “The pain killer I gave him is also keeping him unconscious. He’ll be asleep for a few hours.” He began packing up his supplies as he talked. “I’ll come back from time to time to check on his progress. I assume his bedroom is upstairs. He’ll need a room set up down here. And I’ll leave some medicines and herbs for the pain. He’ll have to be watched closely for infection, but it should heal well.”

“Thank you,” Aoi’s mother said. She noticed Kai still sitting on the floor. “Are you able to walk now, boy?” Kai nodded that he could. “Then you should get back to work.”

“My Lady, can’t I stay with my master? Please, at least until he wakes up?”

“Absolutely not,” she replied sternly. “You need to make yourself useful.”

“Actually,” the medicine man interjected, “it isn’t a bad idea. Someone needs to stay with him. And someone who can tell how much pain he’s in would be ideal.” Kai beamed at the man, but Aoi’s mother only scoffed as she left the room. The medicine man handed Kai a bottle and a small spoon. “Give him a spoonful of this if the pain becomes too bad. Only if the pain becomes too bad, enough that you can’t stand. And only one spoonful. It’s potent stuff.” Kai set the bottle aside and pulled a chair closer to the sofa so he wouldn’t have to sit on the floor. Aoi’s father escorted the men to the door and the rest of the servants returned to their work, leaving the two young men alone. Kai stayed in place for hours, keeping his full attention on his master, once pouring a spoonful of medicine down his throat, until Aoi finally stirred.

“Master?” Kai asked as he saw Aoi’s eyes flutter open. “Master, how do you feel?”

“Strange,” Aoi replied weakly. He moved to sit up, but Kai stopped him with a hand on his chest.

“Don’t move. You were hurt and your leg is broken.”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“It did,” Kai responded with a small chuckle. “The medicine man gave you something pretty powerful to take care of that.”

“I thought I heard voices,” Daichi said jovially as he entered the room. “I see you’re finally awake, Young Lord. Did Kai tell you what happened?”

“He said my leg is broken,” Aoi replied. “I remember my horse throwing me, but nothing else.”

“Probably for the best you weren’t awake for that pain,” Daichi said, shaking his head. “Based on Kai’s reaction, it was pretty terrible. But the medicine man said you probably would have died if he hadn’t felt it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Since Kai felt your pain, he was able to send us to search for you, long before anyone would have noticed you missing. If he hadn’t sent us when he did, you probably would have bled to death. I’ll tell the cook you’re awake and we can get some food in you.” Aoi stared at Kai with wide eyes as Daichi left the room.

“You saved my life?” Kai could only nod as he looked down at the floor. Aoi suddenly grabbed the back of Kai’s neck to pull him closer and planted a kiss on his lips. Kai made a surprised noise, but didn’t try to move away, instead returning the kiss. It was the second time in his life someone had surprised Kai with a kiss. But while he’d only felt uncomfortable when Misa kissed him, this kiss sent chills through his entire body and he felt elated. All too soon, Aoi pulled away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I just… I’m so grateful for you.” Aoi gave Kai a warm smile. “What would I do without you?” 

“I…” Kai shifted uncomfortably, unsure what to say. “Do you need anything, Master?”

“No,” Aoi said, amused by Kai’s reaction. “But if you need something to do, my parents should probably be told I’m awake.”

“Yes, Master. Right away.” Kai jumped up from his seat and walked quickly from the room. Aoi watched him go, a small smile playing on his lips as he thought about kissing his servant.


	4. Happy Birthday, Aoi!

Aoi’s leg was still in the splint when his eighteenth birthday came around. His parents spared no expense on a lavish party. Aoi was having trouble wearing pants with his leg bound and had taken to wearing long skirts instead. For his party, he wore a flowing, bright red skirt with a black jacket. All of the girls at the party fawned over him, telling him how beautiful he looked. After a conversation with a couple of particularly enthusiastic girls, Aoi spotted Ruki laughing at him.

“What are you laughing at?” he asked, hobbling over to his friend on a crutch.

“Nothing at all,” Ruki said, putting his hands up defensively. “You certainly have a way with the ladies.”

“Can I help it if I’m gorgeous and charming?” Aoi said with an elaborate bow that almost made him fall over.

“Looks like someone else is doing well with the ladies,” Ruki said, pointing across the room with a grin.

Aoi followed Ruki’s gaze and saw that he was pointing at Kai. Aoi’s servant had been tasked with being a waiter for the night. His parents had even bought Kai a black suit for the occasion, which only emphasized his slim figure and long legs, and he had been carrying around a tray of hors d’oeuvres. At the moment, there were two young women talking to him and he was smiling and laughing shyly. Aoi briefly thought that Kai looked adorable, but he saw his mother also staring at Kai. Her mouth was pursed with disapproval and Aoi knew Kai would be in trouble if he couldn’t extricate himself from the girls soon. He limped over and put on his most charming smile.

“Ladies, are you brazen hussies keeping my servant from his job?”

“But Aoi,” one of them pouted. “He’s so cute.”

“He absolutely is,” the other chimed in. “I want one just like him. Where did you get him?”

“I’m sorry, my dear,” Aoi replied, throwing his free arm around her shoulders. “Kai is one of a kind.” He winked at Kai and was happy to see a blush spread across the other man’s cheeks. “And he’s terribly busy,” he said, turning his attention back to the girls. “Let’s leave him alone.” He lead the girls away and settled down onto a sofa, grabbing a glass of wine, his first of many that night.

A few hours later, when only a handful of guests remained, Kai went into the ballroom to see if anyone needed anything. Everyone was clearly drunk, including his master. Aoi noticed him walk in and quickly waved him over to the sofa he was sprawled out on.

“Kai,” Aoi said in the overly excited manner of someone who’s had more than a bit too much to drink. “One of these young ladies just asked the most interesting question. She asked, if we were animals, what would we be? Ruki says Reita would be a bird…”

“I’m not a bird,” Reita interrupted with a frown.

“And Reita said Ruki would be a dog.”

“Specifically, a tiny spoiled dog,” Ruki said with a giggle.

“I think I would be a fox. What do you think?” Aoi asked, looking up at Kai expectantly. Kai considered for a moment and realized that, stretched out across the sofa the way he was, there was only one animal Aoi resembled.

“You would be a cat, Master.”

Aoi’s eyes lit up with delight and he began making small noises like a cat. Then he moved his head over and rubbed it against Kai’s hand, much to the amusement of his guests.

“Kai,” Aoi said, staring up at him with a pout. “If I’m your kitty, you should pet me.” Kai stroked Aoi’s head a few times, the white of the gloves he was wearing for the occasion standing out against Aoi’s black hair, but he was very much aware that the Great Lady was watching.

“If you don’t need anything, Master, I should get back to work.”

“Yes, you should,” Aoi said in a mock serious tone.

Kai didn’t return to the ballroom until the only guests remaining were Ruki and Reita. Ruki was sitting on a sofa, quietly talking as he stared at the floor. Kai couldn’t tell if Ruki was talking to himself or if he thought someone was listening. Reita was sitting next to Ruki, fast asleep, and Aoi was lying on another sofa, drinking straight from a bottle of wine and watching his free hand as he moved it slowly through the air. Aoi’s mother walked up and kicked Reita’s shoe, waking him up.

“Boy, don’t you think it’s time you took your master home?” she asked curtly.

“Is it?” Reita asked, blinking up at her. He looked around the room and nodded. “It probably is.” He slowly got to his feet and pulled Ruki to a standing position. Ruki swayed a bit, then sat back down, shaking his head. “Okay, Master, put your arms around my neck,” Reita said. Ruki did so and Reita put one arm on Ruki’s back, the other under his knees, and picked him up easily. “Let’s go home.”

“I don’t want to get in the carriage,” Ruki said, a slight whine in his voice. “I’ll throw up.”

“Well, if you do, just stick your head out the window and I’ll hold your hair back.”

Kai couldn’t hear the rest of their conversation as Reita carried Ruki out of the house. He turned to Aoi’s mother, who was glaring at her son.

“Get him to bed,” she said, turning sharply and marching up the stairs. As soon as she was out of sight, Kai tried to help Aoi up, but his master wasn’t cooperating.

“Aren’t you going to carry me like Reita carried Ruki?” Aoi asked with a giggle.

“I’m afraid I can’t, Master.”

“Are you calling me fat?” Aoi tried ineffectually to push Kai away.

“No, Master. I’m saying Ruki is very tiny.”

“He is that,” Aoi laughed, finally letting Kai get him standing. “Teeny tiny Ruki.” Aoi swayed as Kai helped him to his makeshift bedroom. “You know what’s funny? Ruki and Reita love each other but neither of them will do anything about it. I think that’s funny.”

“Very amusing, Master,” Kai said as he finally got Aoi through the door. He laid Aoi in bed as gently as he could, making sure he was placed comfortably, before beginning to move away. However, Aoi caught his arm before he could leave.

“Won’t you give me a kiss goodnight?” Aoi asked playfully.

“Of course,” Kai said with a laugh. He leaned down and lightly pecked Aoi’s forehead. “Goodnight, Master.”

“Not like that. A real kiss.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Master,” Kai replied softly.

“Don’t call me Master,” Aoi said petulantly.

“You know I must.”

“Well, if you’re going to be like that,” Aoi said, throwing his arms around Kai’s neck, “then I order you to kiss me.”

“If that’s your wish, Master,” Kai replied with a frown. He puckered his lips and leaned down toward Aoi, but Aoi stopped him with an angry shove.

“You could at least pretend like you want to.”

“But, Master…”

“Get out of here. Leave me alone.” Kai didn’t move and Aoi glared at him. “I said get out! Now!”

“Yes, Master,” Kai mumbled as he left. As soon as he closed the door, he heard a crash in the room. He didn’t feel any pain, so he figured Aoi must have thrown something. He wanted to check on the other boy, but he didn’t want to face his master’s wrath, so he retired to the servants’ quarters instead.

* * *

The next day, Aoi’s father had one of the cooks prepare a drink for Aoi that would help his hangover. Kai’s head was pounding, so he was looking forward to seeing if the drink would help. He also asked the cook to add a spoon full of medicine for the ache in Aoi’s leg. As soon as it was prepared, Kai took it to his master’s room, knocking lightly and entering when he didn’t get a reply. Aoi was still asleep, so Kai set the drink on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Master,” he said softly, gently shaking Aoi’s shoulder. “Master, it’s time you were awake.” Aoi groaned and slowly blinked his eyes open.

“What time is it?” he asked with a hoarse voice.

“It’s about midday, Master.” He picked up the drink and held it out for Aoi. “Here, this is supposed to make you feel better.”

Aoi sat up and took the offered drink. He sipped a bit and made a face at the taste, but continued drinking. When the glass was empty, he handed it back to Kai, who took it and stood up. He started to leave, but stopped right at the door, turning and setting the glass on the dresser.

“Master, I must apologize for my behavior last night,” he said stiffly.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Kai. If anything, I should apologize to you.”

“No, Master. If you wanted me to kiss you, I should have done so without argument.”

“Kai,” Aoi said in exasperation. “Come sit down.” Kai did as he was told, resuming his position on the edge of the bed. “I don’t want you thinking you have to do stuff like that just because I want you to. If you didn’t want to kiss me, and you kissed me anyway, it wouldn’t be right. You don’t have to put yourself through that to be a good servant. That isn’t part of your job.”

“But, Master, I did want to kiss you,” Kai replied quietly. “It’s just that you were drunk. People say and do things they don’t mean when they’re drunk. It felt like I would be taking advantage of you.”

“Really?” Aoi asked, taken aback by Kai’s words. Kai nodded. “I’m not drunk now.” Aoi kept his eyes downcast, fidgeting with his blanket, not quite believing he was having this conversation.

“Do you still want me to kiss you?” Aoi nodded and Kai put a gloved hand under his chin, tilting his head up. Kai leaned forward and lightly kissed Aoi’s lips. When he pulled away, he was blushing furiously. “I don’t have much experience with kissing. I’m sorry if that wasn’t good.”

“It was very nice,” Aoi said, smiling softly. He moved forward and captured Kai’s lips in another kiss, taking control of this one. He was just about to open his mouth to allow his tongue to run across Kai’s lips, when they heard his doorknob squeak. Aoi quickly turned his back to Kai, and the servant’s hands moved immediately to Aoi’s shoulders, pretending he had been giving him a massage. It was a ruse they had perfected during years of clandestine reading lessons, and it worked every time. They heard the sound of someone clearing their throat and Aoi looked toward the door as if he hadn’t heard the noise of the doorknob.

“Good morning, Father,” he said.

“How are you feeling this morning?”

“As well as can be expected,” Aoi replied with a chuckle. “I think it will be a while before I drink that much again.”

“Why don’t you go to the beach today?” his father suggested. “I think the sea air will do you some good. I know it’s winter, but you wouldn’t be able to swim with your leg bound up like that anyway.”

“Wonderful idea, Father. We’ll do that.” Kai helped Aoi dress warmly and they took a carriage down to the seaside. Aoi dismissed the carriage driver, telling him to return for them in a few hours, and the two of them took a seat in the sand. Despite it being a relatively warm, sunny day for the time of year, there was no one else in sight.

“This is nice,” Kai said with a big smile. “We hardly ever get this much privacy.”

“It is nice, isn’t it?” Aoi replied. “It’s been a long time since we came to the beach. I wish I could get in the water.” He fidgeted a bit uncomfortably, then stripped off his coat and shirt so he was left with his torso bare.

“Master, what are you doing?” Kai asked in shock. “You’re going to get sick!”

“If I don’t get sunlight on my skin, I’m going to die,” Aoi said, putting a hand to his forehead and dramatically falling backward. He looked up at Kai and laughed. “Come on, Kai. It’s not that cold. I’ll be fine.” Kai rolled his eyes but didn’t reply. Aoi playfully poked his servant in the side. “Hey, take off yours, too.”

“Why?” Kai laughed.

“You could use some sunshine, too. Come on. If you get too cold, we can huddle together.”

Kai rolled his eyes again, but did as he was told. When his torso was bare, he hugged his knees and looked out at the water. He flinched when he felt Aoi lightly touch his back, and he looked back at his master. Aoi was sitting up and he had a sad frown on his face.

“What’s wrong, Master?”

“It’s just… I don’t think I’ve seen you without a shirt on since I did this to you.” Aoi was lightly tracing the scars that crisscrossed Kai’s back. “You know, I never told anyone about this. Not even Ruki, and I tell him almost everything. I was so ashamed of myself.”

“You shouldn’t feel ashamed, Master.”

“But I hurt you so bad.” Aoi’s voice cracked a bit as he spoke and he had to take a shaking breath to collect himself.

“It wasn’t you.”

“I was holding the whip,” Aoi protested.

“And she was guiding your hand,” Kai said firmly. “I’ve never blamed you.” Aoi continued slowly tracing the scars with the tips of his fingers. Kai closed his eyes and Aoi noticed that he was trembling slightly.

“Is there something wrong?” Aoi asked. “Are you too cold?”

“No,” Kai replied quietly. “I’m not used to anyone touching my skin. It’s a little much. But it feels good.” Aoi scowled. He tried to think back to a time that he had ever touched Kai’s skin, but other than the couple of kisses they had shared lately, he couldn’t think of a single occurrence.

“Lay down.” Kai did as he was told and Aoi moved up so he was straddling Kai’s hips, making sure he didn’t put too much weight on his bad leg. He put his hands on Kai’s shoulders and slowly moved them down the other man’s torso. Kai closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, his muscles twitching under Aoi’s touch. “Are you okay?” Aoi asked. Kai nodded, so Aoi continued. He moved his hands up and down Kai’s body a few times, then ran them down his arms. When he reached Kai’s hands, he slipped off the gloves the other man was still wearing and laced their fingers together. He moved Kai’s hands to his own chest, letting Kai touch his body all he wanted. After a few minutes of touching each other, Aoi leaned down and kissed Kai softly, then laid down on top of Kai, pressing their bodies together and listening to Kai’s racing heart. “I’m sorry. I never realized.”

“It’s not something you would notice, Master.” Kai was slowly stroking Aoi’s back, his body and mind buzzing with the sudden new sensations, until Aoi pulled away.

“Kai, I have something to confess to you.” Aoi moved off of Kai to lie next to him, raising himself up on his elbow in the sand so he was looking down at Kai. “When you got upset about me being with Sakura –“

“Master, I – “

“Please,” Aoi said, placing a hand on Kai’s arm. “Just let me say this.” Kai nodded and Aoi continued. “At first, I thought you just didn’t know what you were talking about. But you were right. I shouldn’t be with someone I don’t have feelings for. I don’t want to spend my life in a meaningless relationship. That’s what my mother and I fought about the day of my accident. I told her I don’t want her to try to find me a wife anymore. That I want to try to find someone I can love, not just someone with good social standing. Anyway, I’ve been trying to figure out why I didn’t like any of those girls. They were all pretty and pleasant enough, but there had to be something they were lacking. And I realized, the reason I didn’t like any of them is because I couldn’t stop myself from comparing them to you. ‘She isn’t as cute as Kai.’ ‘She isn’t as nice as Kai.’ ‘I don’t feel happy when I see her, the way I do when I see Kai.’ The more I thought about it, the clearer it became. I don’t need to look for someone to love because you’re right here. I love you.” Aoi stopped talking, waiting for some response. But Kai only frowned up at him. “You don’t feel the same,” Aoi said sadly, moving away.

“No, I do,” Kai exclaimed, grabbing Aoi’s hand and holding it to his chest. “Master, I’ve loved you for so long. I just never thought I’d hear you say that you feel the same.” There were tears in the corners of Kai’s eyes. Aoi laid back down, wiggling his arms under Kai’s back so he could hold him close, and kissed him with a smile.

“Can we be together?” Aoi asked softly, laying his head back on Kai’s chest.

“I want to. More than anything. But how can we? You know it would never be allowed.”

“The same way I taught you to read. The same way we’ve been friends this whole time. It will just be between us. No one else has to know. If it means being with you, I’m willing to find a way.”

Kai held Aoi closer and finally did something he’d wanted to do since the day they met. He ran his bare hands through Aoi’s long hair, and it was just as soft as he’d always imagined.


	5. Exploration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA The Chapter of Sex! There's other sex, later. But this chapter... well, there's not a whole lot of plot. Enjoy ;)

A few months later, the medicine man declared Aoi’s leg officially healed. Or, at least, healed enough that he could use it normally again without wearing any bindings.

“That took so long,” Aoi moaned as he rubbed his now free leg.

“It was a very serious fracture,” the medicine man replied. “I’ve seen similar fractures take longer to heal. Or not heal at all.” He turned to Kai with a large jar in his hands. “There’s still some work you’ll have to do to get your master fully healed. I want you to massage his leg every night to help the muscles recover. Use this for it,” he said, handing Kai the jar.

“Is that medicine?” Aoi asked.

“No, it’s just scented oil. It makes the massage feel better and the smell is relaxing. I’d like to have a word with your gardener so I can teach him how to make more.”

“I’ll take you to him,” Aoi’s father said, leading the medicine man from the room.

“You heard him, boy,” Aoi’s mother said to Kai sternly. “Every night. We don’t want Aoi developing a limp or anything.”

“Yes, My Lady,” Kai replied, trying hard not to smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Aoi also trying not to smile.

“Well, Kai,” Aoi said, pulling himself to stand up. “Move everything from my temporary room down here back up to my room upstairs. I want to start sleeping up there again tonight.”

“Yes, Master,” Kai said with a bow. He indicated the jar still in his hands. “I’ll take this up there first.” Kai got to work as Aoi and his parents ate dinner. By the time they were done, Kai had finished setting up Aoi’s room. Aoi read in the sitting room while Kai ate his own dinner, then Kai helped his master slowly ascend the staircase to his bedroom. Aoi’s mother followed them into the room and watched as Aoi sat on the edge of his bed, inching up his long skirt to reveal his lower leg.

“I guess I’ll have to start wearing pants again,” Aoi said with a laugh. “But I’ll miss the skirts.” His mother only grunted. Kai knelt in front of Aoi and opened the jar of oil. The lady held out her hand to take the jar from him and sniffed its contents. She shrugged and handed it back. Kai began taking off his gloves, but paused and looked up at the woman hesitantly.

“Well, of course you have to take them off,” she scoffed. “Stupid boy!” Kai slipped the gloves off, poured some of the oil into his hand, and began rubbing Aoi’s calf. After watching for a while, Aoi’s mother left the room.

“I thought she’d never leave,” Aoi said, bending down and kissing Kai deeply. Kai laughed as Aoi pulled away and laid down with a sigh. “That does feel good. Your hands are so strong. Maybe later, you can do the rest of my body.”

“Master,” Kai said after a moment of hesitation. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course you can.”

“It’s a difficult question,” Kai said, keeping his eyes down.

“You can ask me anything,” Aoi replied, tilting his head so he could see Kai easier. “I already told you that we have to talk openly for this to work.”

“Do you…” Kai took a deep breath and continued. “Do you not want to have sex with me?”

Aoi sat up on his elbows but Kai was staring intently at a spot just below Aoi’s knee. He bent down and took his servant’s hands, guiding him up onto the bed next to him.

“I absolutely want to have sex with you. Why would you even ask a question like that?”

“Because we haven’t yet,” Kai said quietly. “It’s been months since we confessed our feelings to each other and all we’ve done is kiss. I like kissing you, but… I thought you would want more by now.”

“I understand why you would think that.” Aoi stroked the back of Kai’s hand with a frown. “It certainly didn’t take me this long with anyone else. But, to be honest, I’m nervous to sleep with you. I don’t want to ruin what we have.”

“How would it be ruined?”

“I don’t know. Sleeping with someone changes things between you. In my experience, it usually isn’t a good thing.”

“That could have been who you were sleeping with,” Kai said with a small smile.

“That’s true,” Aoi laughed. “But it’s not just that. I’ve also been hesitant because I don’t want to push you into anything you aren’t ready for. You’re still getting used to us touching each other at all. I don’t want you to have a bad experience because you’re overwhelmed.”

“Master,” Kai said, resting his head on Aoi’s shoulder. “You’re so considerate.” Both men laughed and Kai laced their fingers together. “Maybe I’m not entirely ready for sex. But I would like to try doing… more. If you’d like to.”

“That would be enjoyable,” Aoi chuckled. “What did you have in mind?”

“Oh… I didn’t… I mean…” Kai was blushing madly and Aoi laughed again.

“You didn’t think of anything specific?” Kai shook his head while Aoi pulled him closer. “You’re so cute! How about I think of something and I’ll surprise you?”

* * *

A few days later, Kai had forgotten that Aoi said he would surprise him. He had quickly completed a task that the Great Lady had assigned him and was hurrying to let her know he’d finished early. He was walking past a storage closet when a hand reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into the closet. The door shut behind him and a hand clapped over his mouth in the complete darkness.

“Shhh, Kai.” It was Aoi’s voice and Kai relaxed instantly. “You have to be quiet.” Removing his hand from Kai’s mouth, Aoi leaned in and kissed the other man passionately, wasting no time slipping his tongue past Kai’s lips. As they kissed, Aoi quickly undid the ties on Kai’s pants and slipped his hand inside. Kai broke the kiss with a gasp.

“Master,” Kai exclaimed, gripping Aoi’s shoulders with both hands.

“You said you wanted more,” Aoi said with a gruff voice. Kai was already breathing heavily. “Don’t you like your surprise?”

“Master… please…”

“Do you want me to stop?” Aoi asked, suddenly worried that this was too much too fast.

“No, please don’t.” Kai’s voice had a hint of desperation, his grip on Aoi’s shoulders tightening. Aoi smiled as Kai’s hips began moving almost on their own. He bent his head and nibbled a bit on Kai’s earlobe.

“I told you to be quiet,” Aoi chided as Kai let out a small moan.

“I’m sorry, Master.” Kai buried his face in Aoi’s shoulder. After a few more moments, he threw his head back and gasped. Aoi felt Kai’s cum on his hand and chuckled, kissing the other man’s exposed neck.

“I think you made quite a mess. But I suppose that was the point.” Kai laughed and searched for Aoi’s face in the dark so he could kiss him. He was reaching for Aoi’s pants when they heard her voice.

“Kai! Where are you, boy?”

“You should go,” Aoi said.

“I can’t just leave you like this.”

“You have to. You can owe me,” Aoi said with a kiss, practically pushing Kai out the door. Kai readjusted his pants and ran to find the Great Lady while Aoi quickly cleaned up the mess he’d made.

* * *

“I’m going to go for a ride,” Aoi declared as soon as he finished dinner that evening.

“Absolutely not,” his mother replied. “It’s almost dark out.”

“There’s still plenty of light,” Aoi protested. “Just a quick ride. I need some fresh air.”

“Fine. But take Kai with you.”

Aoi readily agreed, and before long he and Kai were riding to the far end of the property. They stopped when they reached a small orchard. They dismounted, tied up their horses, and quickly slipped between the trees. Aoi’s mother had been right; they were losing light fast. But that just made it harder for anyone to see them.

As soon as they were sure there was no one around, they grabbed each other and began kissing. Aoi was surprised by how forceful Kai was being, and let out an alarmed grunt when his servant roughly pushed him against a tree.

“What are you doing?” Aoi asked breathlessly.

“I owe you, don’t I? Don’t worry, Master.” Kai leaned in and spoke in Aoi’s ear with a sultry tone he’d never heard before. “You’re gonna like this.”

Kai quickly untied the laces on Aoi’s pants and pushed them down. He took Aoi’s member firmly in hand, stroking until he was fully aroused. Then Kai dropped to his knees and grinned up at Aoi wickedly. He’d imagined doing this plenty of times, considering exactly what would bring his master the most pleasure, and was pretty confident that he knew what to do. He began placing a few kisses around the base of Aoi’s cock, then licked a stripe from the base to the very tip. Aoi moaned and buried a hand in Kai’s hair, giving Kai even greater confidence. He licked a few more long stripes, then focused on wiggling his tongue around the head.

“Please, stop teasing me,” Aoi whined.

“Oh, I like that,” Kai chuckled. “Say ‘please’ again.”

“Please,” Aoi cried. “Please, please, please!”

“You’re so desperate, Master. But I’ll take pity on you.” Kai wrapped his lips around Aoi’s erection and began bobbing his head, sucking eagerly. Aoi suddenly thrust his hips and the head of his cock hit the back of Kai’s throat. Kai gagged a bit, but was able to get himself under control without stopping. He moved both hands up and held Aoi’s hips firmly in place, leaving Aoi with no outlet for what he was feeling other than lightly pulling Kai’s hair. Kai increased his pace, but his jaw was beginning to hurt. He removed one hand from Aoi’s hip and instead slipped it behind him. He lightly ran a finger back and forth over Aoi’s entrance, making the other man cry out in surprise and pleasure.

“Kai, I can’t…” Within moments, Aoi came in Kai’s mouth. Kai gently helped his exhausted master get his pants back in order and gave him a sweet kiss.

“Come on,” Kai said. “We should head back. We don’t want your mother sending a search party.” Aoi laughed and they went back to their horses. The sun had fully set, but they could see plenty by the light of the moon. They rode in silence for a while, but Aoi finally had to speak up.

“Where did that come from?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You were so… the only word I can think of is dominant.”

“Was that ok?” Kai asked, suddenly worried.

“Are you kidding? I loved it!” Aoi shook his head and laughed. “I didn’t know you had that in you. But I’m glad you do. I like that my shy lover has a bit of a predator in him.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Kai said quietly. “Truthfully, I imagine us together like that a lot.”

“Is that so?” Aoi gave Kai a teasing smirk. “Well, you feel free to take charge of me whenever you like.”

* * *

Aoi and Kai simultaneously yelped in pain, and Kai quickly scooted to the other side of the bed. It had been almost a month since they’d decided to start being more physical with each other, and they had agreed it was time to finally have sex. It seemed to be the perfect time; Aoi’s parents were away and it was early morning, a time when Kai normally had to spend a lot of time in Aoi’s room to help him get ready. They had spent a lot of time kissing and building up their arousal. But as soon as Kai had tried moving into Aoi, there was nothing but pain.

“Young Lord?” a voice asked from the other side of the door, no doubt a passing servant who had heard the commotion.

“I just stubbed my toe,” Aoi called out, fixing his pants in case the servant decided to enter the room. They waited for a moment, but he didn’t come in. “What did you do?” Aoi asked Kai.

“I don’t know. I just… put it in like I’m supposed to. But it hurt.”

“You’re telling me! You’re too big, that’s what happened.”

“This isn’t my fault! You’re the one who didn’t warn me it was going to hurt.”

“I didn’t know,” Aoi replied vehemently.

“You’ve done this before.”

“Never with a man!” Kai crossed his arms with a huff. “I’m sorry,” Aoi said, moving to Kai’s side and taking his hand gently. “I didn’t mean to get angry. I know you didn’t intend to hurt me. And I know it hurt you, too.”

“It did,” Kai said as he laid his head on Aoi’s shoulder. “Am I really too big?”

“You’re definitely bigger than average.” Aoi sighed. “There has to be a way. What about Daichi?”

“What about him?”

“He’s been sleeping with another man for years. I’m sure he knows something we don’t,” Aoi said thoughtfully. “Do you think you can ask him?”

“You mean ask him without him getting suspicious?” Aoi nodded. “I can try.”

Later that day, Aoi and Kai found Daichi in the garden as they pretended to take a walk. As soon as they were near the gardener, Aoi made a show of yawning loudly.

“I’m exhausted,” he declared. “I think I’ll go take a nap.”

“Is there anything you’d like me to do, Master?” Kai asked meekly.

“Nothing I can think of.” Aoi looked at Daichi as if he’d just noticed the other man was there. “Daichi, is there anything Kai can help you with?”

“I’m sure I can keep him busy, Young Lord.”

“Wonderful. Kai, make sure I’m awake for dinner.” With that, Aoi left the two servants alone.

“Well,” Daichi said. “Why don’t you help me with these weeds?” Kai knelt next to the gardener and started working pulling weeds. He let a few minutes pass in silence, just as Aoi had told him to do, before he started asking questions.

“Daichi?”

“Hm?”

“When you and Takashi are together, does it… hurt him?”

The gardener looked up at Kai and grinned.

“Are you thinking of letting a man poke you?”

“What? No!”

“Oh, so you want to be the one doing the poking?” Daichi laughed as a deep blush spread across Kai’s face.

“No! I’m just curious. Never mind.” Kai pouted in defeat and Daichi laughed again.

“All right. Since you’re just curious. It can hurt if you don’t do it right. You’ve never seen the steps I take to make sure Takashi is comfortable.”

“I haven’t. What kind of steps?” Kai looked at Daichi expectantly. The gardener stopped working and considered Kai for a moment.

“Look, Kai. You’re a good kid, and we’re friends. So, I’m going to give you some advice. If you want to roll around with another servant in our house, that’s fine. No one will care. If the object of your affections is someone outside our house, like your friend Reita, that’s a little more difficult, but most people here won’t care. If you’re thinking of being with someone else in this household,” he said pointedly, making it clear he was talking about Aoi, “you have to be very discreet. Even I would have to report to the Great Lady if I knew for sure there was something going on. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Kai said softly, returning to his work.

“The Young Lord is going on a business trip next week, right?”

“Yes, his first trip alone. The Lord of the Manor wants him to get experience conducting business on his own.”

“You’ll be going with him, of course?” Kai nodded. “You’ll be spending a few nights in an inn. I’ll make you some more of that scented oil to take with you. He might want a massage after so much travel.” Daichi grinned broadly, and only laughed when Kai gave him a confused look.

* * *

Kai pretended not to be able to understand the titles on the spines of the books in the shop. The owner was watching as Aoi browsed and Kai knew that the man would be surprised to find out he could read. But he was getting impatient. Aoi already had three books in his hand and was still looking.

“Honestly, Master,” Kai said with exasperation. “How many books do you need for this trip? We aren’t going to be gone for a month.”

“I like to have options,” Aoi replied. “Besides,” he whispered, “one of these is for you.” Aoi continued browsing the shelves, but stopped with a curious frown on his face when he saw a certain title. He grabbed the book and flipped through its pages. He flashed Kai a big grin, which he quickly got under control, and slipped the book between two others in the stack he was holding. “Ok, that should be enough. Let’s go.”

“What is that book, Master?”

“Oh, nothing. It doesn’t matter.” Aoi set his books on the counter and the owner looked at the titles. He gave Aoi a strange glance, but Aoi held his head high and didn’t say anything. He paid for his books without a word and the two young men left the shop to begin their journey. As soon as they were sitting across from each other in their carriage, Aoi handed Kai the book he’d bought for him and began reading the last book he’d picked out, angling it so that Kai couldn’t see the title. Kai rolled his eyes and turned his attention to his own book as they got under way. Aoi read through his book almost excitedly and, after a while, he laughed out loud.

“What’s so funny?” Kai asked with a frown.

“Nothing,” Aoi replied. “It’s just, Daichi is a very clever man.”

“What do you mean?” Aoi didn’t answer, instead returning his attention to the book. Kai tried to ignore his master’s strange behavior. After a while, his attention was drawn back to Aoi, whose breathing had become heavier and he saw Aoi lightly stroking his own crotch. “Master?” Kai asked with a grin. “What kind of book is that?”

Aoi looked over to Kai with a surprisingly heated look. He moved across to where Kai was sitting and straddled his lap. He kissed Kai deeply, grinding against him as Kai gripped his hips.

“I want us to try again tonight, Kai.”

“Are you sure, Master? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“It won’t be a problem.” Aoi was still grinding against Kai’s lap and they were both fully aroused. Aoi quickly undid the ties on both of their pants and pulled their erections out. “Give me one of your big hands,” he said with a grin, grabbing Kai’s arm and urging him to wrap his hand around their members. Aoi moved his hips, humping into Kai’s hand and rubbing their erections together. They resumed kissing, moaning into each other’s mouths. Kai used his free hand to grab a handful of Aoi’s hair and pull his head back so he could lay kisses all over his neck. Aoi inhaled sharply through his teeth. “I can’t wait for tonight. I wish you could take me now.” His hips moved faster as Kai lightly bit his collar bone and, within moments, they both came over Kai’s hand.

“I think it’s nap time,” Aoi said, sitting back in his seat with a satisfied smile. Kai laughed as he cleaned up their mess with a handkerchief.

“Where did you get that idea?” Kai asked with a grin. “Don’t tell me it was in your book.”

“It might have been. Don’t worry. All will be revealed tonight.”

“You love to keep me in suspense, don’t you Master?” Kai scoffed. They arrived at their destination a short time later and headed straight to the inn they were planning on staying in. As they were checking in, Aoi noticed that the inn keeper looked a bit nervous.

“Is there a problem?” he asked.

“I’m very sorry, my lord. We weren’t told you would be bringing any servants other than your carriage driver. I’m afraid we don’t have a bed for your man.”

“That is inconvenient,” Aoi said, pretending to be annoyed. “Well, I suppose he can sleep on the floor in my room. Send up dinner for two, and I want a bath drawn, and then I don’t want to be disturbed for the rest of the night.”

“Of course, my lord,” the inn keeper said with a deep bow. Aoi and Kai took their bags to their room and settled in while the inn keeper’s wife prepared a bath in their room and then left. Their dinner was delivered not long after, along with an extra pillow and blanket for Kai. As soon as they were done eating, Aoi climbed into Kai’s lap and handed him the book he’d been reading in the carriage.

“Oh, I get to know your dirty secret now?” Kai asked with a laugh. He opened the book and looked at the title page. “’The Love of Men’,” he read with a frown.

“At first, I thought it would just be an erotic novel. But it’s actually a guide.”

“A guide?”

“For men. Who want to have sex with other men. And look,” Aoi flipped to another page, “it has pictures. I definitely want to try it like that. Once we get the hang of it. We should try something easier to start. That looks like it requires… balance. But, what I really want you to look at is this.” Aoi flipped to a page near the front of the book. “There’s an entire section on reducing pain.”

“’The best way to ensure anal sex is not painful’,” Kai read aloud, “’is proper’… What is this word?”

“Lubrication.”

“’Lubrication. Saliva will do, but isn’t ideal. It’s best to use some sort of oil.’” Kai threw his head back and laughed. “Daichi is indeed a clever man. Though he could have told me what it was for instead of leaving it for us to guess.”

“Well, I really do want a massage,” Aoi laughed. “It says it’s best for the man on the receiving end to be relaxed. Read this part. I’m going to wash up a bit.” Aoi took a bath while Kai read about the importance of starting with something small and gradually loosening his partner. Once he was done reading, Kai prepared the bed, placing the bottle of oil on the nightstand, pulling back the covers, and fluffing the pillows. When he turned around, still sitting on the edge of the bed, Aoi was standing right in front of him wearing a loosely tied robe.

“I was just getting the bed ready for you. So I can give you that massage.”

“I should probably be naked for it, right?” Aoi said teasingly. He untied the robe and let it slip from his shoulders. Kai looked over Aoi’s body with an almost awed expression.

“You’re so beautiful, Master.” He reached out both hands and ran them up and down Aoi’s sides. He pulled the other man closer and kissed his flat stomach softly, closing his eyes and letting his lips linger on the skin. He pushed Aoi away a bit and lowered his head. “You should lay down before this goes too far.”

“I agree. But first, you should take your clothes off, too. I want to see you.” Kai stood and stripped his clothes off. As soon as he was fully naked, Aoi put his hands on Kai’s shoulders and held him at arm’s length. He licked his lips as he looked at the other man’s body. Without warning, he pulled Kai close and kissed him passionately, pressing their bodies together. He pulled away with a laugh when Kai let his hands drift down Aoi’s body and grab his ass. “I’m sorry. I got a little carried away. I’m going to lay down now, okay?”

“Okay,” Kai replied with a giggle. Aoi laid in the bed on his stomach. Kai straddled his thighs and put a pillow under Aoi’s hips to lift them up a bit. He poured some oil into his hand and began rubbing Aoi’s shoulders. “You’re tense, Master. Is that from traveling or something else?”

“It’s from traveling. I’m not nervous about this, Kai. I’m excited.”

“Well, let’s get you nice and relaxed.” Kai worked his way down Aoi’s back, rubbing away any spots of tension he found. Aoi sighed contentedly.

“You’re too good at this. I hope I don’t fall asleep,” Aoi said with a laugh.

“Are you ready for me to… do the next step?” Aoi knew without looking that Kai was blushing and he laughed again.

“Yes, Kai. I’m ready.”

Kai poured more oil into his hand and coated his fingers. He ran the tip of one finger along Aoi’s entrance, teasing the rim the way he knew Aoi liked. When Aoi had started breathing more heavily, Kai gently pushed the tip of his finger in. Aoi made a small noise, but Kai knew it didn’t hurt him so he began moving his finger in and out. He followed the instructions in the book as best he could, and Aoi seemed to be enjoying it. He was moaning a bit and clenching the pillow beneath his head.

“I think you can put in another,” Aoi said breathlessly. Kai carefully slipped in the tip of a second finger, trying to ignore the slight bit of pain he knew Aoi felt. It wasn’t enough that Aoi would want him to stop. He focused on continuing to stretch his master and Aoi was quickly moaning again. It wasn’t long before he looked up at Kai almost desperately. “That’s enough. Please, I’m ready.”

Kai nodded and pulled away. He coated his erection in oil and lined it up. He leaned forward, lacing his fingers with Aoi’s, and whispered in his ear.

“You have to stay relaxed, Master. Take a deep breath.” Aoi breathed deeply as Kai pushed inside of him. The added stretch only hurt a little bit, definitely not enough for him to want Kai to stop. Once Kai was fully sheathed, he paused, breathing heavily on the back of Aoi’s neck.

“Are you okay?” Aoi asked.

“Fine,” Kai replied. “I just didn’t know it would feel this good, being so close to you. I need a second. I don’t want to finish too soon.”

“Take your time.” Aoi pulled Kai’s hand closer and kissed his knuckles. “Whenever you’re ready, just start moving slowly. I’m not going anywhere.”

Kai closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Then he began moving in and out, keeping the thrusts slow and gentle. It didn’t take long before the pain Aoi was feeling completely vanished and he was moaning again.

“Faster,” Aoi breathed out after a few minutes at a steady pace, and Kai did as he was told. Aoi immediately gasped in pleasure. “Kai. You feel amazing.” Aoi continued calling out Kai’s name as he moaned and gasped, occasionally telling Kai to move faster or harder. Kai kissed Aoi’s neck and shoulders, finding it hard to maintain his pace.

“Master, I don’t think I can last much longer.”

“I’m close, too.” Aoi took one of his hands from Kai’s grip and slipped it under his body, quickly stroking himself to completion. He cried out Kai’s name as he came and Kai reached his own end only moments later. Kai collapsed on top of his lover, breathing heavily. After giving Kai time to catch his breath, Aoi nudged him a bit with his elbow. “Let me turn over.”

Kai reluctantly pulled out and moved so he was sitting up on his knees. Aoi turned over and held his arms out, inviting Kai to lay back down with him. Kai happily took the invitation, resting his head on Aoi’s chest. Aoi wrapped his arms around the other man and slowly stroked his hair and back.

“That was fantastic,” Aoi said contentedly.

“How did it compare?” Kai asked quietly.

“Compare to what?”

“The times you’ve done it before.”

“There’s no comparison,” Aoi replied matter-of-factly. “It’s completely different. Not just physically, though it was a lot better physically. I loved feeling you inside of me. But I think the biggest difference was because we love each other. You were right; you should do that with someone you love. It wasn’t just physical, like it was before. It was… intimate.” He could feel Kai smiling against his chest. “You should know that you’ve completely ruined me now. I’m never going to be able to have sex with anyone else ever again.”

“Good,” Kai said with a laugh and Aoi lightly punched his arm. “I wish we could stay like this. I wish we could stay here. Naked, holding each other, without having to worry if someone will walk in.” Kai yawned heavily. “I wish we didn’t have to go home.”

“I do, too. But we’ll work something out. Now that I’ve had you, I’m going to want you all the time.” Kai chuckled sleepily. “Let’s get some sleep now. We can do it again when we wake up.” Aoi continued stroking Kai’s hair until they both fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.


	6. Caught

“You have to be quieter, Master.”

“I’m – ah! – I’m trying.” Aoi moaned loudly again and Kai clapped one hand across his master’s mouth. He pulled Aoi up so his back was pressed against Kai’s chest and used his free hand to firmly stroke Aoi’s erection. Aoi cried uselessly into Kai’s hand as he came, and Kai quickly followed. Kai let Aoi go and pulled out, and they both quickly readjusted their pants. Kai got out of the bed and sat in a nearby chair.

“I’m sorry, Master.”

“For what?”

“I got a little too rough with you. I hurt you a bit.”

“No, you didn’t.” Kai rolled his eyes and Aoi laughed. “Okay, it hurt a little. But I liked it. Do you mind it terribly when it hurts?”

“Not really. If you don’t mind it, neither do I.”

“I wish you didn’t have to feel it. Since you don’t like it the way I do. I wish you could feel my pleasure instead.”

“I don’t have to feel your pleasure to know when I make you feel good,” Kai said wickedly. “You’re plenty loud about it.” Aoi’s face turned bright red and Kai laughed. “Oh, Master. You’re so cute. Honestly, I do like how vocal you are. I like knowing that you’re enjoying yourself.”

“I always enjoy myself when I’m with you,” Aoi said sweetly. After a moment of thinking, Aoi chuckled to himself. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this. You don’t have to feel my pain. I could break the connection.”

“No!” Aoi was taken aback by how forceful Kai’s response was, but he was even more surprised to see that Kai almost looked scared. “Please, Master, I don’t want you to break the connection. Please. Promise you won’t.”

“Okay, Kai.” Aoi was curious about Kai’s reaction, but decided not to press the issue. “I won’t break it.” Kai leaned forward in his chair and kissed Aoi deeply.

“Oh.”

Kai and Aoi quickly pulled away from each other, but they both knew it was too late. A part of Kai wondered why they hadn’t heard the door open. He looked toward the door and saw Misa standing in the doorway.

“What do you want?” Aoi asked in his most commanding tone.

“Your parents have returned home early, Young Lord. The Great Lady wishes to see you.” With a curtsy, the girl left the room. Kai buried his face in his hands, shaking his head.

“This isn’t good,” Aoi said. “Do you think she’ll tell?”

“I don’t know,” Kai said with a sigh. “Misa has feelings for me. I’ve had to tell her more than once that I don’t feel the same. She always seems like she understands and she backs off, for a while at least. This… will probably make her pretty mad.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal. I’m sorry, Master.”

“Well,” Aoi said, getting out of bed. “All we can do is hope she won’t tell. I should go face the music.”

“I’ll have a word with her. Maybe I can convince her to keep this secret.”

Aoi met with his parents in the sitting room. While they were talking, a butler entered the room with a note for Aoi.

“It’s from Ruki,” he said as he read. “He’s invited me to have tea with him and Lady Mizaki tomorrow.”

“I’m surprised Lady Mizaki will still associate with that boy after the spectacle he made of himself at the imperial ball,” his mother sneered. “Dancing with a servant. Ryo must have been so embarrassed. I’m thankful my own son has more sense than that.”

“Yes,” Aoi muttered. “Ruki doesn’t always think before he acts. But I should go to this tea. Lady Mizaki makes a good business contact.”

“Very wise,” his father agreed. Aoi quickly wrote a note accepting the invitation and had it sent to Ruki.

Meanwhile, Kai spent the entire afternoon trying, and failing, to get Misa alone. It wasn’t until late evening that he was finally able to corner her in the hallway leading to the servants’ quarters.

“Misa,” he began, “about what you saw…”

“I always thought it was the Young Lord’s girlfriend who you had feelings for,” the girl interrupted. “I thought once she was out of the picture, I’d have a chance. But it was him all along.”

“I know you haven’t told the Great Lady yet. Please, Misa. Please don’t tell her.”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“She’ll kill me,” Kai pleaded. “You know I’m not exaggerating.”

“No, you aren’t. But how much trouble would I be in if you get caught and she finds out I knew?”

“We won’t be caught. We’ll be more careful. Please. I’m begging you.”

“What will you give me if I promise I won’t?” Misa asked with a new spark in her eye.

“What do you want?”

“You know what I want,” she said, reaching out and stroking Kai’s arm. “You know what I’ve always wanted.”

“Is that really what you want?” Kai backed the girl against the wall, pinning her with a hand on either side of her head. He glared down at her and the girl gulped in fear. “You know I don’t want you. I wouldn’t enjoy it. You would really want to be with a man knowing he would hate every second of it? Knowing he was only doing it in exchange for a promise?”

“No,” Misa replied meekly. Kai continued glaring down at her until she turned her head in fear. “Fine, I promise I won’t tell.”

“Thank you, Misa.” Kai breathed a sigh of relied and took a step back. Just as he did, Aoi’s father walked by the entrance to the hallway and saw them.

“What are you two doing?”

“Nothing,” Kai replied quickly.

“I was just heading to bed, My Lord,” Misa said quietly.

“And I was about to go help my master prepare for bed.”

“Then go about your business and don’t linger,” Aoi’s father said before leaving them alone again.

“I really should go,” Kai said.

“Yes, I’m sure your master needs plenty of help,” Misa scoffed. Kai left the girl standing in the hallway and made his way to Aoi’s room. When Kai entered the room, Aoi was changing into his night clothes with his back to the door. Kai walked up behind him and slipped his arms around Aoi’s bare torso, kissing the back of his neck. Aoi stroked Kai’s arm and let out a sound almost like a purr.

“Were you able to speak with Misa?” Aoi asked.

“Yes. She promised not to tell.”

“Did you have to threaten her?” Aoi laughed but Kai tightened his hold around his waist.

“She wanted me to sleep with her,” he said quietly.

“Oh. What… what did you say?”

“I refused, of course.” Kai couldn’t see Aoi’s face, but knew he was probably pouting. He kissed Aoi’s neck again. “I’m only for you. You know that.”

Aoi turned in Kai’s arms and kissed him quickly before climbing into bed.

“I think I should have her sent away anyway. I don’t like the idea of her holding this over our heads. Or that she still thinks she could have you.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Kai said, sitting in a chair nearby.

“I’m so tired of this,” Aoi said with a sad shake of his head. “I’m tired of sneaking around. Of having to be quiet when all I want to do is scream that I love you. I’m tired of having sex with our clothes on because being caught naked together would be disastrous. I’m just… tired of all of this.”

“Do you want to be open about it?”

“Are you suicidal?” Aoi scoffed.

“Do you… want us to stop being together?” Kai could barely get the question out and Aoi quickly grabbed his hands.

“Hey, look at me. That’s not at all what I’m saying. Do you really think I could live without your touch?” Kai smiled sadly. Aoi brought one of Kai’s hands to his mouth and kissed the knuckles. “What I’m saying is I want us to get out of this house. I want us to live together somewhere else.”

“Could we do that?”

“I don’t see why not? I don’t think my parents would pay for it, though. Not outright. But I could cut back on my monthly expenses and try to save up my allowance.” He laughed. “They’ll probably be proud of me for planning and saving up.”

“That’s a great idea,” Kai grinned. “How long do you think it will take?”

“Three years,” Aoi said with a frown. “Maybe two if we get a very small place. We won’t be able to afford a grand home in any case.”

“Will you be able to live in a small home?” Kai asked with a teasing grin.

“No,” Aoi replied with a laugh. He threw his arms around Kai’s neck. “But it will be bearable if you’re there.” He kissed Kai, but couldn’t help darting his eyes to the door.

* * *

Aoi and Kai arrived at Lady Mizaki’s house just before Ruki and Reita. As their friends climbed down from their carriage, Kai cast a quizzical glance at a third person who had joined them.

“Our nanny,” Reita mumbled to him. Kai nodded at the stranger and gave Reita a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

“Can I talk to you for a second before we go in?” Aoi asked Ruki. The shorter man nodded and the two of them stepped aside, leaving the servants alone.

“What’s wrong?” Ruki asked as soon as they were out of earshot. Aoi hesitated for a moment before broaching the topic that had been on his mind since the day before.

“Have you ever offered to break your connection with Reita?”

“Sure, lots of times.”

“Has he ever acted afraid?”

“No,” Ruki replied with a confused frown. “Why are you asking about that?”

“I offered to break my connection with Kai yesterday. It was the first time I’ve ever brought it up. He looked… scared. He practically begged me not to. I thought if Reita reacted the same way that would mean it was just a part of the spell. But if he’s never acted that way…” Ruki shook his head, reconfirming that Reita had not. “Then it’s a problem Kai has. I don’t know why.” Aoi sighed heavily, then put on his brightest smile. “Come on, let’s not keep Lady Mizaki waiting. Why did you invite me to this tea anyway?”

“You’ll see,” Ruki said with a sly grin. “I don’t want to talk about it out here. But believe me - you’re going to want to come to these afternoon teas often.”

* * *

Lady Mizaki had sent all servants out of the room the moment it was time to serve tea, saying she preferred to take care of everything herself, so Kai stayed in the kitchen with Reita and the strange man. Kai learned that the man was named Kenta and he was a footman in Ruki’s house. Kai found him thoroughly disagreeable. He spent the afternoon ignoring Kenta and chatting happily with Reita until it was time to leave. As they left, Kai noticed that Aoi seemed genuinely happy, as opposed to the polite happiness he usually faked for these kinds of occasions.

“You enjoyed tea?” he asked as soon as they settled into their carriage.

“Oh, Kai,” Aoi replied with a bright smile. “It was the best tea ever.” He closed the curtains on the carriage windows and moved to sit next to Kai. “We have a plan,” he said excitedly. “Ruki and I are going to start a business. With Lady Mizaki’s help. They already have several business meetings set up for us. It won’t be long before we can start making real money.”

“Are-are you serious?”

“Yes! I’ll be able to afford a home for us much sooner than we thought. We’re going to have freedom, Kai!” He wrapped his arms around Kai and hugged him tightly.

“This is wonderful news,” Kai exclaimed, pulling out of the hug and cupping Aoi’s face in his hands. “I’m so happy for you.”

“For us, silly. But you can’t tell anyone. We’re going to be taking clients from our own fathers,” Aoi said with a wicked grin. 

“How will you explain how you got the money?”

“I’ll still cut back my expenses, just like we talked about. I’ll tell them I started saving up a few years ago. They don’t pay attention to my expenses, they won’t notice.”

“You are so naughty, Master.” Kai kissed Aoi and pulled him back into a hug. “I can’t wait.”


	7. A Mission Accomplished

“Mother. Father. I have something I’d like to discuss with you.” Aoi and his parents had just finished dinner and he figured this was as good a time as any to have the conversation he’d been practicing for the past year and a half. His parents looked at him curiously, so he took a deep breath and plowed ahead. “I would like to move to the city.”

At first, neither of his parents said anything. They just stared at him blankly, and he wondered briefly if they’d even heard him. They exchanged a glance and his father cleared his throat.

“Is there any particular reason why?” he asked.

“Yes,” Aoi replied, happy they hadn’t dismissed him outright. “I think it would be a good idea for me to have to do things on my own. Take on responsibilities. Be independent. I think it would build character and make me a better business man.” He took a breath, hoping his nerves hadn’t made him talk too fast.

“You would live alone?” his mother asked with an arched brow. “Without any servants even?”

“Yes. Well, except for Kai, of course.”

“Of course,” his father snickered.

“I do agree with your proposal,” his mother began, and Aoi’s heart leapt into his throat. “I don’t believe your reasons for a moment. I’m sure your true intentions are more selfish and immature. But I agree anyway. You may actually learn the lessons you say you’re going to. And being in the city will give you more opportunities to meet young ladies.”

“That too,” Aoi said. “Very good point, Mother.”

“I agree as well,” his father said. “Though I do wonder how you plan to pay for a home in the city. I hope you don’t expect me to pay for the whole thing.”

“I don’t expect you to pay for any of it. I’ve been saving up money from my allowance for the past few years and I have enough to pay for a small house. Though, I will need you to continue giving me an allowance, of course.” Aoi smiled to himself. He could tell his parents were impressed with how thoroughly he’d planned.

“Well,” his mother began, “since you have everything figured out, I trust you don’t need our assistance with arrangements from here.”

“Absolutely! I can take care of everything!” Aoi excused himself and practically ran to his room, telling a passing butler to send Kai to him at his earliest convenience. When Kai finally entered the room, he found Aoi sitting up in his bed, arms crossed and a sour look on his face.

“Master? What’s wrong?” He took a seat on the chair near the bed.

“I spoke with my parents,” Aoi said with a pout. Kai reached out and took one of Aoi’s hands in his. “They said I have to take care of all of the moving arrangements myself. Can you imagine how much work- aah!” He was cut off by Kai happily tackling him and they fell into the bed in each other’s arms. Kai quickly kissed his master, then moved to return to his seat, but Aoi held him back. “Stay in bed with me. Please. We’re celebrating.” Kai cast a nervous glance to the door. “Just for a few minutes,” Aoi said and Kai settled back down.

“We’re going to get to do this as much as we want,” Kai said, squeezing Aoi tight. “How did you get them to agree?”

“Just like I said I would. I focused on how it would improve my character,” Aoi said with a fake serious voice that sounded a bit like his father.

“What if they’d said ‘no’?”

“Then, after a few months, I would move out anyway and they’d be upset with me.” Aoi smiled at Kai sadly. “I’m happy they won’t hate me for a little while longer.”

“Why would they hate you, Master?”

“So many reasons,” Aoi laughed. “There’s the fact that I’m secretly stealing business from my father. And I’m never getting married, which may drive Mother insane. I’m definitely not the ideal son they wanted.”

“I think you’re perfect, Master.” Kai kissed Aoi again. “I should let you get some sleep. You have a lot of work to do.”

“I suppose I do.” Aoi let out an exaggerated sigh. “I hope I don’t become too busy to give you the attention you need.”

“You’re the one who needs attention all the time!” Kai climbed out of the bed, kissing Aoi once more, and made his way to the servants’ quarters with the happy knowledge that he would be leaving it soon.

* * *

Almost three weeks later, Kai and Aoi stood in the living room of their new home, having just sent away the servants Aoi’s parents had sent to help them move their possessions. Kai moved behind Aoi and wrapped his arms around him.

“Do you want me to make some dinner, Master?”

“Not yet,” Aoi replied with a satisfied hum. “Let’s just spend some time alone as us before you start acting like a servant again.”

“That’s a good idea.” Kai sat down on the ground, pulling Aoi down with him. Aoi giggled as Kai pulled him into his lap and began kissing him. This kiss started playful but quickly turned more demanding. Kai laid Aoi down on the floor and turned his attention to kissing Aoi’s neck.

“We have a bed, you know?” Aoi giggled as Kai began tugging at his clothes.

“I know. We’ll get there. But this is our first night of freedom. We can do whatever we want, wherever we want.” Kai slipped Aoi’s shirt over his head. “And you can be as loud as you want.” He pulled off Aoi’s pants, leaving the other man completely nude. He moved Aoi’s arms over his head and pinned them down with one hand, moving the other hand to Aoi’s neck. “So, Master, I’m going to make you scream.”

Aoi’s eyes lit up in excitement. Kai let him go and sat up on his knees so he could remove his own clothes. Aoi began moving his hands down from where Kai had been holding them, but stopped when the other man glared at him. Kai looked around the room until his gaze fell on a length of rope that had been used during the move. He grabbed the rope and used one end of it to tie Aoi’s wrists together, then tied the other end to the leg of a very heavy table Aoi had insisted on buying.

“Pull,” Kai commanded. Aoi pulled his hands down hard but couldn’t budge. Now that he was sufficiently restrained, Kai finished undressing. Aoi watched him with a hungry look. Kai leaned over Aoi and kissed down his body, stopping at one of his nipples. He teased the nub with the tip of his tongue and then took the whole thing in his mouth and bit lightly. Aoi’s body arched up against his as his breathing got heavier. Kai continued kissing down his body, nibbling in places, occasionally biting hard enough to leave a mark, especially on the sensitive skin of his inner thighs. Aoi was soon writhing underneath him, gasping with each bite. He whimpered a bit when Kai pulled away to grab the bottle of oil from a nearby box, but smiled as Kai settled between his thighs. 

Kai prepped his lover quickly, almost impatiently. Once Aoi was stretched enough, Kai slicked up his erection and shoved into Aoi’s body without further preamble. He immediately set up a hard pace that had Aoi moaning in no time. After getting into a good rhythm, he grabbed Aoi’s hips and lifted his lower body completely off the ground, causing his arms to be stretched out by the rope holding them in place so his whole body was hovering off the floor. Aoi’s legs instinctively wrapped around Kai’s waist, simultaneously pulling Kai in deeper. He pounded into Aoi like that for several minutes, and the other man grew increasingly louder in his reactions. However, he wasn’t as loud as Kai wanted him to be. He pulled out and flipped Aoi over so he was on his knees, his upper body still stretched and suspended in the air. 

“You’re making lots of delicious noises, Master,” Kai said, massaging the round ass now on display before him. “But I think we can get more out of you.” He pulled back one hand and spanked the other man hard. Aoi let out a yelp and Kai rubbed the fleshy globe soothingly. “That’s better,” Kai cooed. Aoi only panted in response, his whole body shivering with arousal. Kai pulled back his hand again and spanked the other cheek, drawing out another lovely sound. Deciding he’d teased Aoi long enough, Kai slammed back in without warning and resumed his hard, fast pace. Within moments, Aoi was screaming in pleasure, calling Kai’s name.

“Kai!” Aoi was panting and barely able to speak. “It’s too much.”

“You know what to say, Master,” Kai said, grabbing a handful of Aoi’s hair and pulling his head back.

“Please! Please, Kai!” Kai reached under Aoi’s body and stroked him firmly. Aoi cried out loudly as he came, and Kai finished just after. He pulled out and untied Aoi’s wrists, then flopped onto the floor in exhaustion. Aoi curled up next to him and laid his head on Kai’s chest. “You’ve been planning that all day, haven’t you?”

“No. I just happened to notice the box with the oil was nearby,” Kai replied with a laugh, lightly slapping Aoi’s rear. “We were finally alone and I couldn’t control myself.” Aoi laughed and cuddled closer.

“What are we going to do when we run out of that stuff?”

“I had Daichi teach me how to make more,” Kai replied. Aoi raised an eyebrow at him and Kai put on his most innocent face. “I simply explained that my master has grown accustomed to having a massage whenever he wants one and has a fondness for his scented oil.” He stroked Aoi’s arm but they both hissed in pain when he touched the rope burns that neither had noticed on his wrists. “Let me get some balm for that.” Kai got up and rifled through a box until he found a small jar of balm and some bandages. He sat next to Aoi on the floor with their backs against the sofa and tended to the wounds.

“Why did you tie me up?” Aoi asked with a touch of teasing in his voice. “You know it’s just going to give me these burns.”

“I like tying you up,” Kai replied with a laugh. “And I know you like a bit of pain.”

“But you don’t.”

“I’ve told you before, I don’t mind. I want to give you what you like.” He finished bandaging Aoi’s wrists and kissed the inside of each. “Now, are you ready for me to make dinner?”

“I did work up a bit of an appetite,” Aoi laughed. “Are you sure you want to cook? We could go out.”

“Master, I know you’re worried that I’m just acting like a servant. But I don’t think of cooking for you as servants’ work. Cooking for someone is a way to show them love. I want to cook for you.”

“Ok,” Aoi yielded. “But you have to let me help clean up. I’ll… clean the dishes.”

“You? Will clean dishes?”

“I’m sure I can figure it out,” Aoi said, hitting Kai playfully. Kai put his hands up in defense until Aoi stopped hitting him. Once Aoi stopped, Kai stood up and started heading toward the kitchen. “Are you going to put any clothes on?” Aoi asked with a laugh.

“No,” Kai replied. He stretched with an exaggerated yawn, making sure Aoi saw everything. “Is there any reason we have to wear clothes now?”

“None at all. Unless we have company.” He watched as Kai walked into the kitchen, and decided to follow so he could watch his love cook.


	8. Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't read part one, you probably should at this point. It will make a lot of what happens in this chapter make more sense.

Kai had banned Aoi from the kitchen. He said that Aoi would just get in the way and he wanted breakfast to be perfect. Ruki had finally saved up enough money to buy a house and to buy Reita away from his father, and they had moved into their new home the day before. Kai and Aoi had promised to help them unpack, and Kai decided it would be nice to take them breakfast too. Since Aoi was alone in the living room when he heard a knock on the door, he decided to answer it himself. He was surprised to find Takashi on the other side.

“Good morning, Takashi. This is unexpected.”

“Good morning, Young Lord.” Takashi shuffled his feet for a moment, then handed Aoi a small envelope. “A note for you from the Lord and Lady.”

“Oh, thank you. Would you like to come in? I’m sure Kai would love to say ‘hello’.”

“I’m sorry, Young Lord. I’ve been ordered to return immediately.”

“I see. Well, I’ll let him know you were here. Please send regards from both of us to Daichi. Kai is very fond of both of you, and misses you.”

“I will be sure to convey that message,” the footman replied with a soft smile. He bowed and left, and Aoi closed the door. He immediately opened the envelope and read the short note inside. He sighed heavily and went into the kitchen. Kai had his back to the door as he loaded up a picnic basket with food.

“Kai. I need attention.” Kai dropped what he was doing and turned around to wrap Aoi in his arms.

“What can I do for you, Master?” Kai asked, stroking the other man’s back.

“This is perfect,” Aoi responded, returning the embrace. “I just needed you.” He laid his head on Kai’s shoulder and took a deep breath.

“Who was at the door?” Kai stroked Aoi’s hair, knowing something was bothering him and their visitor probably had something to do with it.

“It was Takashi with a note from my parents. Ruki’s father told them about how we’ve been making money, and that we’ve been stealing clients from them. I’ve been disowned, Kai. They’ve cut off my allowance, I won’t be inheriting anything, and they don’t want to speak to me again.” He took another deep breath and held Kai tighter. “It had to happen eventually. I just didn’t think… It’s strange but I still crave their approval.”

“It isn’t strange at all, Master. And I’m very sorry.”

“I should have been prepared,” Aoi replied. “I knew Ruki was going to tell his father what we’ve been up to. I should have known he would immediately tell my parents.” He gave Kai a squeeze before releasing him. “Come on, let’s not make those idiots wait any longer.” Kai affectionately ran his thumb along Aoi’s bottom lip, then quickly finished packing the picnic basket and they made their way to their friends’ home.

* * *

“I can’t believe it’s already midday.” Aoi’s stomach growled as he put away the last of the dishes. “It’s definitely time for a lunch break.”

“I agree,” Ruki laughed. He poked his head out the kitchen door. “Reita! Kai! Let’s have lunch!” There was no response, so Aoi called out even louder.

“Kai! I’m hungry! Come on!” There was still no response, so they left the kitchen and searched the house, calling out as they went. Their servants were nowhere to be found.

“Maybe they’re outside,” Ruki said. They went out the front door and looked around. Several people milled around the busy street, but Kai and Reita weren’t among them.

“Kai!” Aoi yelled. A few heads turned to look at him oddly, but he didn’t care. He ran a bit down the street until Ruki caught up with him.

“Aoi, don’t panic,” the smaller man said.

“Don’t panic? Ruki, they’re missing! How am I supposed to not panic?”

“Maybe they went somewhere.” Ruki tried to keep his voice as calm as possible. “They could have gone to your house. Or the market.”

“Both of those are too far away from us,” Aoi replied. “They wouldn’t have just left.”

“Let’s go back to my house and wait a while. I bet they’ll walk through the door in a few minutes with a perfectly reasonable explanation.” They went back and sat in Ruki’s living room to wait for their servants to return. After an hour, Aoi jumped up from his seat.

“I can’t just sit here. I have to do something.” He paced quickly back and forth as Ruki watched.

“There’s a temple nearby. Maybe the Magic Men can find them.”

“Yes! That’s a good idea.” Aoi ran out the door without another word and hurried to the temple. He explained to the apprentice who greeted him what was happening and he was immediately taken before a Magic Man.

“I’m afraid there’s no way for me to locate a wayward Connected,” the Magic Man said after Aoi explained the situation again. “All I can do is see if the connection is still in place. Though you would know that just as well as I would.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you ever heard someone describe what it feels like when the connection is broken?”

“Yes,” Aoi replied. “They said it feels like a string snapped in your heart. Kind of like the opposite of how it felt when the connection was formed.”

“Exactly. It’s a very distinct feeling. You would notice it. It would wake you up from a dead sleep. If the connection had been broken, or if your Connected had died, you would have felt it.” Aoi thanked the man and returned to Ruki’s house.

* * *

Aoi woke up the next day confused about why Kai wasn’t in bed with him. But he quickly remembered everything that happened: his panic when he realized Kai was missing, his fight with Ruki when the other man insisted Reita had convinced Kai to run away, and crying himself to sleep. He considered going to Ruki’s house, but he knew it was useless. He knew someone would have sent word to him if Kai had been found, and he wasn’t in the mood to talk to his friend. Instead, he decided to enlist some help looking for Kai.

He went straight to the guards’ house and asked to see the captain. Aoi had developed a friendly rapport with the captain of the imperial guardsmen. He hoped the man could help. When the captain greeted him, he wasted no time explaining what was going on.

“My Connected is missing. Can you send out men to find him?”

“You want me to look for your missing servant?” the captain asked with a raised brow.

“Yes. He might be injured or in danger.”

“Or he might have run away. Servants run away, Aoi.”

“No,” Aoi insisted. “He wouldn’t. He’s a Connected. They can’t run away. And he’s…” Aoi caught himself before he gave the real reason he knew Kai wouldn’t run away. “Please, I just want him back.”

“He’s the one I’ve seen you with, right? The one with the dimple?”

“Yes. His name is Kai.”

“I can keep an eye out for him,” the captain relented. “And I can tell my men to look out for him. But that’s all. We can’t actively search for him.”

“I guess that will have to be enough,” Aoi said sadly. He thanked the man and decided to search the area around Ruki’s house again.

* * *

The following day, Aoi woke up with a horrible thought and he had to see if it was true. He took a carriage out of the city and straight to his old home. He was relieved to see a friend tending to the flowers at the front gate.

“Daichi,” Aoi called as he jumped out of the carriage.

“Young Lord? What are you doing here?”

“Is Kai here?”

“No,” Daichi responded with confusion. “Why would he be here?”

“He’s missing,” Aoi replied, already almost close to tears. “A couple days ago. He’s just gone.”

“And you think your parents may have taken him?” Aoi nodded. “If I didn’t know for sure that he isn’t here, I would think the same thing. Do you think he’s…”

“I know he’s alive,” Aoi interrupted. “If he died, I would feel it. But he could be injured. And even if he isn’t… You remember what it was like for him when I got too far away for a few minutes. This has been days.” Aoi finally let a few tears fall. “I don’t know what to do. He must be in so much pain.” He saw the concerned look on Daichi’s face and quickly wiped his eyes. “I’m sorry. I should go back to looking for him.” He turned his back on the gardener and walked back to the carriage.

“Aoi,” Daichi called after him, and Aoi paused at the carriage door. “Please let me know… what happens.”

“I will.” Aoi climbed into the carriage and signaled to the driver to move on and return to the city.

* * *

For the third day in a row, Aoi woke up alone. He didn’t cry. He felt empty, like Kai had taken a part of him when he disappeared. He got out of bed, got ready, and left his house to undertake the now familiar task of searching for his love. He looked in every shop window, glanced in every restaurant, and inquired at every inn. He walked all day, the last of his hope fading as the sun set. He had just turned homeward when he heard a familiar voice.

“Master!” His head snapped up and he saw two figures running toward him. He began running toward them, the distance between them closing quickly.

“Kai!” He could barely believe his own eyes, but it was definitely Kai. He leaped into the other man’s arms and laughed as Kai spun him around. Kai kissed him as he set his feet back on the ground and he had to fight back the urge to cry. “I missed you so much! Where have you been?”

“We were being held captive,” Kai said, happy tears streaming down his face. Aoi had to try harder not to cry now that Kai was crying. “In a building near that bakery you love. What are you doing out here?”

“I knew you wouldn’t have run away. I was out looking for you. I was just about to head home.”

“Speaking of home,” Reita interrupted, “I still have no idea where I am. How do I get home from here?”

“If you follow this street for a while, you’ll eventually come to the market street,” Aoi said. “I’m sure you can find your way from there.”

“Yes, I can. Thank you. I’d love to join you on your walk home, but I need to get back to my master. You two take care of each other.”

“Are you kidding?” Kai said with a grin. “I’m not letting him out of bed for a week.”

Reita ran off, leaving Kai and Aoi alone together.

“Master,” Kai said, wrapping his arms around Aoi and gripping him tight. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too.” Aoi pulled out of the hug to look at Kai’s face, but couldn’t see much in the dark. “Did they hurt you?”

“No. Not physically.”

“Take me there. I’m going to give them a piece of my mind.” Aoi started marching in the direction Kai came from, but the other man grabbed his arm.

“Not now,” Kai said quietly. “I just want to go home. I’ll take you there in the morning. But right now, I want to be in bed with you in my arms.”

“Of course.” Aoi kissed Kai and ran his fingers through his hair. “Let’s go home.”

As soon as they got home, Aoi lit a fire and several candles. Kai shielded his eyes from the light, but his eyes adjusted quickly and he lowered his arm. That’s when Aoi got a good look at Kai for the first time and noticed the scratches going down his face.

“What are these marks? You said they didn’t hurt you,” Aoi said, cradling Kai’s face in his hands. 

“They didn’t.” Tears welled up in Kai’s eyes. “I did this to myself. I was going insane without you.”

“Oh, Kai. I hate seeing you like this.” Aoi held Kai’s head to his chest, lightly rubbing his back. “I want to break the connection.”

“No,” Kai said, backing away almost in a panic. “Master, please.”

“Why don’t you want me to? What are you so afraid?”

“I…” Kai hesitated, tears spilling out of his eyes. “I don’t want us to stop loving each other.”

“What do you mean?” Aoi took Kai’s hand in his, trying to get his lover to look at him.

“The only other Connected I’ve ever met is Reita. And he and his master love each other. It made me think… I don’t want to think it, but… What if we only love each other because of the spell?”

“No. Don’t even think that.”

“Reita said it wasn’t right. He said he’s met other Connecteds who don’t love their masters. But…”

“But you’ve had this thought in your head for a long time, and it’s stuck in there.” Kai nodded. Aoi gently grabbed Kai’s face in both hands and forced him to meet his eye. “Kai, listen to me. We do not love each other because some old man rubbed my blood on your forehead. You know me better than anyone ever has. You know my fears and my desires. You know that the confident face I show to the rest of the world is just a mask. And I know you just as well. I know you laugh and smile all the time because you want other people to be happy. And that’s one of a hundred reasons I love you. Our love is real. Please tell me you believe that.”

“I want to. More than anything.”

“Let me break the connection. Please. I can’t stand to see you in pain anymore. And it will prove our love is real. Please.” Kai nodded and Aoi held his lover’s head to his chest again, his shirt getting wet with Kai’s tears.

“Will it hurt?” Kai asked weakly.

“No. I’ve heard plenty of people describe what it’s like. I just imagine cutting the string that connects our hearts, and the string being cut is all we feel.”

“Okay.” Kai took a deep breath. “I trust you, Master.” Kai shut his eyes tight. After a few moments, Kai felt the sensation of a string snapping, just like Aoi said he would. Nothing else felt different, though. Aoi pulled away from their embrace and looked at Kai intently.

“How do you feel?”

“I… don’t really feel any different,” Kai replied.

“Do you still love me?” Aoi tried to make it sound like a joke, but he couldn’t stop a hint of worry from creeping into his voice. Kai looked into Aoi’s eyes for a moment, studying the other man.

“Yes. I love you. So much.” He grabbed Aoi and pulled him into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for doubting.”

“Shhh, I understand why you would have thought that.” Aoi stroked Kai’s back soothingly until he noticed Kai’s breathing start to slow. “You’re almost asleep, aren’t you?” he asked with a laugh.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t slept much in the past few days.”

“Of course you haven’t. Let’s get you to bed.” Aoi extinguished the fire and picked up a candelabra, taking Kai by the hand and leading him to their room. He set the candelabra down and turned his attention to his lover. He gently removed Kai’s shirt. He noted a few bruises on the other man’s torso, but didn’t say anything about them. He slipped off Kai’s pants and helped him lay down in their bed. He turned and removed his own clothing. He half expected the other man to be asleep when he turned back, but he was watching Aoi with a small smile on his face. Aoi crawled into bed and Kai immediately reached out and pulled him close.

“You’re so warm,” Kai said happily. He took a deep breath. “And you smell good.” Aoi laughed and watched as Kai’s eyes struggled to stay open.

“Good night, darling,” he whispered.

“Good night, my love,” Kai mumbled in return.

* * *

When Aoi woke up the next morning, he was surprised to find Kai still asleep. Usually Aoi was the one who slept in. With the light of day pouring through the window, he took a good look at Kai. His face was extremely pale, the red scratches standing out as if they’d been painted on. And he was dirty. Aoi decided he had to get Kai into a bathtub as soon as possible. Aoi moved to get out of bed, but Kai latched onto him more tightly in his sleep. Aoi laughed and tried to free himself without waking Kai up, but stopped when he saw the other’s brow crease as if he was having a nightmare.

“Kai,” he said softly, running the back of his hand along the side of Kai’s face. “Just relax. You’re safe.” Kai’s brow smoothed and he visibly relaxed. “That’s better. You have to let me go, though.”

“Don’t leave me,” Kai said, blinking awake.

“I’m not going anywhere. I just want to get you some breakfast.”

“Are you going to cook?” Kai chuckled.

“Maybe,” Aoi replied, pretending to be offended. “Or I can get you something we already have made.”

“In a while, my love. Let’s just lay here for now.” Kai ran his hands through Aoi’s hair, a small smile playing on his lips.

“You don’t even realize you’re saying it, do you?” Aoi asked with a huge grin.

“Saying what?”

“That’s the second time you’ve called me ‘my love’.”

“I did?” Kai frowned in confusion. “I’ve wanted to call you that for the longest time. But every time I tried, the only word that would come out was ‘Master’.” He smiled fondly at Aoi. “I guess now I can say it whenever I want. My love.”

“It’s beautiful,” Aoi giggled, pulling Kai into a kiss. “I’m going to get you some breakfast. While I’m cooking, you should take a bath. Seriously.” They shared a laugh as they climbed out of bed. “Once we’re done with breakfast, I want you to take me to where they were holding you.”

“Why do you want to go there?”

“Because, those people hurt you. So, I want to make them pay for it.” Kai began to protest, but Aoi held up his hand to stop him. “I’m not going to barge in there and try to take them on single-handedly. Maybe last night I would have. Now, I just want to do a bit of reconnaissance. See how many we’re dealing with and then get my friends in the imperial guard to go in with me.”

Kai relented and after he bathed and ate, they made their way to the edge of the city. As they approached the area, they noticed a commotion getting louder and they could smell smoke. As soon as the building was in sight, they realized exactly what was going on. The building where Kai and Reita had been held was now barely more than a smoldering ruin. They stopped outside the bakery nearby and Aoi nodded to the owner, who was standing outside surveying the scene.

“Do you know what happened here?” he asked casually.

“The building burned down during the night,” the baker replied. “I don’t think anyone knows how it happened, yet.”

“Was anyone hurt?” Kai asked, his eyes fixed on the building.

“Unfortunately, yes. It looks like there were around twenty people trapped on the second floor. None of them got out.”

Kai broke down in tears and Aoi immediately wrapped him in a comforting embrace. He noticed the baker giving them an odd look.

“He’s very sensitive,” Aoi explained. “Anyone dying upsets him.” The baker nodded sympathetically and returned to work. Aoi turned his attention back to Kai. “Hey, shhh. It’s okay.”

“No.” Kai shook his head through his tears. “We didn’t mean to. The fire was so small when we left. And we didn’t even know there were people upstairs.” He struggled to breathe through his tears for a moment. “We killed them.”

“No,” Aoi replied, holding him tighter. “It was an accident. You didn’t know. How could you have?” He stroked Kai’s back and kissed his cheek. Kai moved away a bit.

“We’re in public,” he protested.

“I don’t care. I don’t want to hide our love anymore. And the man I love is in pain.” He drew Kai close again, kissing him softly. “I love you so much. You know I would marry you if I could.” Kai smiled back at Aoi, but was interrupted by a hand on his arm. It was Reita.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Reita asked.

“Reita, we…” Kai couldn’t continue, slumping into Aoi’s embrace.

“Let’s all take a seat,” Aoi said, leading the other two to a nearby bench. “What are you doing here, Reita?”

“I was just walking around and I noticed the commotion. I thought Shiro and his people were being arrested, so I came to see the show.”

“Shiro?”

“He was their leader,” Kai explained.

“But what happened?” Reita asked.

“Somehow the fire that you two thought was small turned into a big fire,” Aoi replied. “Twenty or so people were trapped on the second floor.”

Reita lowered his head and took a deep breath.

“We didn’t know. We didn’t even know there were more than three or four people involved at all.” Reita shook his head, but Aoi was distracted by something he suddenly realized was wrong.

“Where’s Ruki? Why were you walking around alone?”

“He set me free last night. And he…” Reita was clearly fighting back tears, so Kai reached out and took his hand. “He doesn’t want me,” Reita said, his voice cracking.

“What do you mean?” Aoi asked. “Of course he wants you.”

“He told me to leave. He doesn’t want me to be dependent on him,” Reita scoffed. “So, I was just wandering around. I don’t know where to go.”

“I know where you’re going to go,” Aoi said firmly. “You’re coming home with us.”

“Oh, no,” Reita protested. “I can’t impose.”

“I won’t accept any arguments.” Aoi stood and began walking in the direction of his house. “Come on, you two.”

They returned to their house and Aoi made tea while Kai tried to comfort Reita. Now that they weren’t in public, Reita let his tears flow freely. Shortly before they ate lunch, Ruki came to visit. While Reita hid in a back room, Aoi confirmed that no, he hadn’t seen Reita and yes, he would keep an eye out for him.

“He’s gone,” Kai said as he entered the room Reita was hiding in as soon as Ruki left.

“What did he want?”

“He was looking for you. He’s worried about you, Rei.” 

“Yeah, right,” Reita scoffed.

“You should talk to him.”

“I don’t ever want to talk to him again. If he doesn’t want me, I don’t want him either.”

“You’re angry. It’s understandable. Give it time. Aoi says you can stay as long as you need to.”

“Thank you. I’ll start looking for a job and try to find my own place. I don’t want to be around you two and your noisy sex all the time.”

“Fair enough,” Kai laughed. “Though I’ll have you know, we have years of practice at having sex quietly.” He patted Reita on the back and began heading out of the room.

“Kai?” Reita called. Kai turned his attention back to his friend. “You called him Aoi.”

“Try saying ‘Ruki’.”

“Ruki.” Reita looked at Kai in surprise.

“It feels good, doesn’t it? One day, hopefully soon, you’ll call him by his name and it will make him very happy.” Kai left the room and settled down next to Aoi on a sofa. “Reita says he’ll try to get a job and move out quickly.”

“I’m sure he won’t have too much trouble,” Aoi replied. “He’s smarter than he looks. Until then, he can stay in the room we were pretending is yours.”

“Aoi,” Kai began, lacing their fingers together. “Earlier, you said you would marry me if you could. Why can’t you?”

“I’m sure my mother would petition the emperor to put a stop to it. He wouldn’t want the disgrace of having a relative who married a servant.”

“Shiro said the emperor is going to make owning a Connected illegal soon. If he does, I officially won’t be your servant anymore.”

“I haven’t heard that he’s thinking about that. But if he does, I will definitely marry you.” Aoi kissed Kai softly, then deepened the kiss as he climbed into Kai’s lap. Kai ran his hands under Aoi’s shirt, preparing to slip it off.

“Ugh. This is exactly what I didn’t want to see.” Reita was standing in the doorway, an amused smile on his face.

“Sorry,” Aoi said as he resumed his seat next to Kai. “Though you should probably get used to it. We don’t have company often, so we might forget you’re here. And this one’s prone to walking around naked.”

“I won’t do that while you’re here,” Kai said, laughing. “Come on, I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.”


	9. Unexpected Visitors

Reita immediately got a job at a bookstore where the owner knew him. The owner even offered him the apartment above the store as part of his salary, so he was able to move out of Kai and Aoi’s home a little more than a week after moving in. With Reita gone, their life more or less went back to normal. A few months later, Aoi was cleaning up after an early dinner when there was a knock at the door. Kai answered the door and lead their visitor, the captain of the imperial guard, to the dining room.

“Ah, good evening,” Aoi greeted. “What brings you to our humble abode?”

“I’ve come with some information I thought would interest you.”

“I’ll leave the two of you alone,” Kai said, bowing a bit.

“No,” the man replied. “This concerns you as well.” Kai took a seat and the captain cleared his throat before continuing. “There have been rumors – and you know I wouldn’t be telling you if I didn’t have strong reason to believe them to be true – rumors that the emperor will be passing a new edict in the next couple of weeks. This edict will make owning a Connected illegal.”

“Are you serious?” Kai asked in shock.

“Yes,” the captain responded with an amused smile. “The reason he’s come to this decision is that he intends to make a woman who is currently a Connected his next wife.”

“He’s going to marry a former servant,” Aoi exclaimed.

“That is what I’ve heard. I have no reason to doubt it.” The man stifled a laugh at the stunned looks on their faces. “Well, I should be going. I’ll see myself out. Good evening, gentlemen.”

“Yes, good evening,” Aoi replied. “Thank you.” Neither of them said anything until they heard the captain close the door behind him. “Kai, do you know what this means?”

“I think I do,” Kai replied. Aoi grinned widely as he climbed into Kai’s lap.

“The emperor is setting a precedent. If it’s okay for him to marry a servant, it’s acceptable for anyone! Oh Kai!” Aoi kissed him enthusiastically, then pulled back and looked him in the eye. “Kai, I want us to declare our love loudly to the world. I want us to be bound to each other forever. Will you marry me?”

“I’ve known since the day we met that my life would always be bound to yours,” Kai replied, taking Aoi’s hands in his. “And I’ve never had a problem with that. Still, actually marrying you is more than I ever imagined.”

“Is that a yes?”

“My love, of course it’s a yes!” They embraced each other and kissed passionately. They immediately began impatiently removing each other’s clothing. Kai lifted Aoi and set him on the table. He reached into the sideboard and took out the bottle of oil they had put in there. Since moving into their own home, they’d taken to stashing bottles of oil all over the house.

Without being told, Aoi bent over the table, presenting himself to his lover. Kai began stretching Aoi with his fingers, kissing the other man’s shoulders and back wherever he could reach. He bit into the flesh above Aoi’s shoulder-blade as he inserted a third finger and Aoi cried out in pleasure. Now that he couldn’t feel Aoi’s pain, Kai was much less hesitant to inflict it, knowing how much his love enjoyed it. He bit Aoi in several more places. By the time he was finished with preparations, Aoi’s back was covered in marks that would be prominent for days.

Kai slicked up his erection and pushed into Aoi’s body. The other man moaned as Kai immediately started moving quickly. He closed his eyes as his lover moved inside him at a steady but still somewhat tame pace. He moaned again to spur Kai on. Kai began moving more forcefully and Aoi opened his eyes just in time to see Ruki and Reita backing out of the room. He chuckled to himself and Kai pulled him into a standing position by his hair.

“Is something funny?” Kai asked, pounding into him even harder.

“No. Ah! Please, Kai!” Kai shoved Aoi back down, spanking him as soon as his ass was in the air. Aoi yelped and clawed at the table. This only encouraged Kai to spank him again and increase the speed of his thrusts. Aoi screamed in delight. Soon, Kai was pounding into Aoi as hard and fast as he could, his grip on his fiancé’s hips undoubtedly leaving bruises. For his part, Aoi had already screamed himself hoarse and scratched deep gashes into the table. Kai shifted his angle slightly and was slamming into Aoi’s prostate. Within moments, Aoi reached his end without being touched, and Kai followed closely behind. Kai slumped over Aoi’s back in exhaustion. Aoi laughed and stroked Kai’s arm. “Promise me you’ll keep doing that when we’re married.”

“I will give you as much pleasure as you can stand as long as you allow it,” Kai said, kissing Aoi’s cheek as he pulled out. “Let’s go to bed. We can rest a bit and do it again.”

“You read my mind, darling.” Aoi threw his arms around Kai’s neck and kissed him, happy in the knowledge that Kai was just as satisfied as he was.

* * *

_Dearest Mother and Father,_

_As I’m sure you are aware, our mighty cousin the Emperor recently made the practice of owning a Connected illegal. In addition, his own marriage to a former Connected has added a level of acceptance to such a union. It is with that in mind that I am pleased to inform you that Kai has accepted my proposal of marriage. He and I have been in love for a long time and we would like to share that love with our family and friends. Enclosed is an invitation with further details. It is my deepest wish to have my family attend the ceremony and witness our union._

_Your loving son,_

_Aoi_

Aoi knew his parents probably wouldn’t come to his wedding, but he sent an invitation anyway. Not only did they not go to the ceremony, they forbade his sister from attending as well. Therefore, the audience witnessing Aoi and Kai stand before the Magic Man didn’t include any blood relatives. The people in attendance included Ruki and Reita, Lady Mizaki, Uruha, and a few other close friends. Kai had wanted to invite Daichi and Takashi, but knew they wouldn’t be allowed. Aoi had invited the emperor himself, but he had declined to attend, though he did send a fairly opulent gift.

The Magic Man wrapped a red cord around Aoi and Kai’s entwined hands and chanted some words. A soft glow surrounded the couple as they looked into each other’s eyes.

“Let it be known,” the Magic Man began, “that the love between these two men is true and pure. It is that love that fuels this binding. They are bound together, now and forever, by this spell but also by the love in their hearts. They shall now seal this binding with a kiss.”

Kai and Aoi kissed as the guests in attendance clapped. There was a short reception before everyone returned home. Lady Mizaki’s husband greeted her with a kiss and they spent some time talking, though they both had work they needed to finish. Uruha went back to the inn where he’d been living, and the inn keeper’s daughter who’d been keeping him company for several weeks. Ruki and Reita returned home to their dog, Koron. Reita proposed to Ruki, presenting him with a silver studded ring that he had designed himself. And Aoi and Kai went home and consummated their union with soft kisses and slow lovemaking. Even though they knew they had the rest of their lives together, they couldn’t help but indulge in kisses, giggles, and soft touches until they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of this story. I've been encouraged to write another side story from Uruha's perspective, but I don't think it will happen. There wouldn't really be much to say.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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